


Life is Strange - After the Storm

by emcee857



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Anxiety, Back off she's with me, Darlings you may each now kiss the bride, Drama, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Family Issues, Flashbacks, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Nightmares, Our Santa Monica dream, Psychological Trauma, Rachel Amber will you marry me, Romance, Same-Sex Marriage, Some random tags that no one will ever read, Spoilers, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-01 04:40:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 116,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13287192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emcee857/pseuds/emcee857
Summary: This is an alternate Before the Storm/Life is Strange timeline where Chloe Price and Rachel Amber end up happy together. The sole reason I wrote this is to fix my broken heart regarding these characters who deserve better than their respective tragic deaths. I'm probably biting off more than I can chew, but let's see where this goes.Summary: Max Caulfield pulls Chloe back from the brink of self-destruction, and with the help of others they save Rachel from the Dark Room. Chloe and Rachel go to Los Angeles where they rebuild their relationship and deal with issues from the past.Warning: this story spoils parts of the plot from the games.





	1. Disappear

**Disappear**

(Present time: late October 2019)

"Good morning, Chloe Price". Chloe, still in bed, looked to her left and saw Rachel smiling at her. It was a familiar scene, Chloe still in bed, and Rachel already up and at it. _"Well, some things never change"_ , Chloe thought to herself. She was usually the latter of the two to get out of bed, especially on days off.

"How are you feeling this morning", Rachel asked. Chloe groaned and said she still wasn't feeling too well. Stomach cramps had been plaguing her for days, and she felt feverish. Chloe hated the fall months, especially when the weather was not good.

Rachel sat down on the edge of their bed and reached for Chloe's forehead with her hand. "You're burning up, angel, you will need to stay in bed today. Doctor Amber is prescribing rest therapy".

Chloe thought to herself that at least being sick had a silver lining, even when you felt like complete shit. Having her angel nearby, nursing her, made things a lot better already. The two of them never got tired of calling each other angel.

Rest therapy was certainly a lot better than the drugs Chloe used to take, her only vices now being the occasional cigarette, some beer and wine. And she would always follow Doctor Amber's advice to the letter.

"For a moment there I thought you might have morning sickness", Rachel teased. Chloe gave her an angry look, and Rachel laughed. "If that were true, you could always call Max and ask her for tips". Chloe's thoughts drifted briefly to her best friend, Max Caulfield, now a locally famous young photographer frequently exhibiting her work to rave reviews.

"Oh, and one more thing Chloe, happy anniversary", Rachel smiled. Chloe smiled back at Rachel and recalled the happiest day of her life. The day she became Mrs. Amber, which had been her deepest wish for years. "I love you, Mrs. Amber", Rachel said. _"I love you too, Mrs. Amber"_ , Chloe replied. It ended with a kiss, as nearly always.

Chloe always took great pride in emphasizing to anyone she was Mrs. Amber now. She still loved her father very much, more than a decade after his death, but taking Rachel's name was something she had decided upon early in their relationship. She'd been obsessed with Rachel for years, and after several ups and downs and near fatal tragedy, they got back together and finally executed Rachel's original plan to move to Los Angeles.

They still lived there, and it was also where they had gotten married. Their Santa Monica wedding was now five years ago to the day. Above all, Chloe remembered feeling super awkward when in front of the altar, and she had surprised everyone with her choice for a dress.

But for all the many good things in their lives, Rachel was very aware of Chloe's ongoing anxieties. Chloe still occasionally displayed a recurrent fear that it was all just a dream, and also she was still suffering from periodic fear-of-abandonment issues. However, the stability that Rachel provided in her life slowly helped her to deal with all the issues. It was getting better every year.

Rachel was very happy to prove to Chloe that the lives they were now leading were very real. She comforted Chloe as many times as was needed. And Rachel herself frequently relied on Chloe for support whenever she had nightmares about her past ordeal in the Dark Room. Fortunately, Rachel's nightmares no longer came as frequent as they used to.

"You haven't forgotten about Max coming to visit next week, have you Chloe", Rachel asked.

 _"No, I hope I'll feel better when she comes, I probably will"_ , Chloe answered.

"Warren's coming too", Rachel added.

 _"Mr. Friendzone owes me"_ , Chloe thought to herself. She was amused every time she recalled having finally succeeded in setting Max and Warren up together. Faking letters from one to the other, setting up a dinner and movie date for them, and finally managing to push Warren to ask Max to be his girlfriend.

Chloe had known that Max wanted him to do just that for quite some time. But the geek had not been able to summon up the courage needed. Chloe, transforming herself into her alter ego Pricecupid, through her machinations finally managed to get the job done. Max and Warren were still together after more than four years, and married for almost three. Pricecupid had also helped Mr. Friendzone with the proposal. Chloe wondered if Max knew about it.

Helping Max was the least Chloe felt she could have done for her childhood friend. And it was one of many things she had done after reconnecting with Rachel. Once Rachel had left the hospital after her near-death experience at the hands of Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott, Chloe started regaining her happiness and eventually ventured to spread it to others. Chloe sometimes thought to herself that it would have been easier if she could have used those awesome rewind powers Max used to have.

But it was unclear if those powers had ever been real. Max had talked about her weird experiences with time during their investigation of Rachel's disappearance, and how she often questioned whether any of it had ever been more than illusions.

Chloe's life with Rachel so far had been her dream come true, despite the occasional anxiety. Rachel, now member of a theatre group and singer in an up-and-coming rock band was her angel, her everything. Rachel had saved her life in more than one way, and in a way Chloe had also contributed to saving Rachel's life, as had Max, and others. Now she and Rachel were together 'til death do them part.

Chloe had spent a few years as a waitress because the couple needed money. But with Rachel's career slowly taking off, Chloe could now afford to work as a clothing designer, something she had never thought she would end up being. It was far removed from the science girl she had once been, acing her way through school until her father's premature and tragic death.

Designing clothes for Rachel, her band and her theatre group was Chloe's favorite thing to do, apart from spending time with Rachel herself. The two still loved attending underground concerts, and went on many road trips. Chloe's favorite trips would always be to remote places with abandoned cabins where it was just the two of them.

When Rachel had first failed to follow through on their agreement to elope, then had gotten involved with Frank Bowers and finally completely disappeared, it had caused Chloe to develop a protective shell around herself. She had started to display extreme cynicism and selfishness, lashing out at anyone who tried to approach her. Chloe became a rebel, and often her mother Joyce would be the target of Chloe's bitterness.

Even Max had to suffer some of Chloe's anger and frustration when she reappeared in Arcadia Bay to study at Blackwell, though the two still re-established their long-term friendship.

The happy ending to the bad times had helped Chloe make peace. First with herself, then with her mother and most remarkable of all, with step-douche, or step-hero as Chloe now referred to him. David had played an important role in saving Rachel. Step-hero had also fixed up Chloe's truck after she had to abandon it on that fateful night. Who would ever have thought back then, that she would even acknowledge him, let alone like? So much had changed in her life, and almost all of it for the better.

She no longer needed a protective shell. She looked forward to seeing Max again. Spidermax, Maxipad, Batmax, her first crush, Max-a-roni, Maximus Prime. Chloe planned to ask Max about what it was like to be expecting a baby, and the most important question would be to ask exactly how many times Max had needed to rewind to get Warren to hit the right spot. Chloe started feeling better already, gleefully anticipating Max's expression upon being asked that particular question. However, Chloe knew better, she would ultimately keep this particular thought to herself.

Rachel interrupted Chloe's thoughts, sat down in front of their computer and opened the music player. "I have a gift for you, Chloe. I've worked on this song for a long time, it's a bit of a break from our genre but it's finally ready. My band recorded it with me in advance of our debut album. I hope you like it because I'm dedicating it to you. I just want you to know that I'll always be with you and will do anything it takes to keep convincing you of my love for you."

Rachel then blew Chloe a kiss and said the song was called "Disappear".

Chloe sat up in bed and started listening, by the look she gave Rachel it was clear that Chloe loved the song, and the lyrics that symbolized their mutual struggle.

 _Say I'm crying_  
_I'm looking at what's on TV_  
_Pain and suffering_  
_And the struggle to be free_  
_It can't ever be denied_  
_And I never will ignore_  
_But when I see you coming_  
_I can take it all_

 _You're so fine_  
_Lose my mind_  
_And the world seems to disappear_  
_All the problems_  
_All the fears_  
_And the world seems to disappear_

 _Say you're mine_  
_And give yourself to the feelings that you know_  
_I'm needing all that you can give me_  
_All the things that you do so well_  
_Words are healing_  
_Sweet anticipation_  
_Making spells as the shadows closed in_  
_Fell across all our yesterdays_

 _You're so fine_  
_Lose my mind_  
_And the world seems to disappear_  
_All the problems_  
_All the fears_  
_And the world seems to disappear_

 _Say if I could_  
_Look into myself and reason_  
_But I could never never see_  
_Or make sense of the dealings_  
_Turn around_  
_Am I looking at salvation_  
_Make me realize all that I am_  
_You put the light inside this girl_

 _You're so fine_  
_Lose my mind_  
_And the world seems to disappear_  
_All the problems_  
_All the fears_  
_And the world seems to disappear_

* * *

**Credits**

Life is Strange, Before the Storm and all characters in those games belong to Dontnod Entertainment and Deck Nine Games.

The song "Disappear" belongs to Jon Farriss and Michael Hutchence of the band INXS.


	2. Rewind

**Rewind**

(Present time: early November 2019)

"Are you ready to see them again", Rachel asked Chloe. Chloe nodded yes, of course she was ready. Max was her best friend in the world. It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon, and that was the time Max and Warren were supposed to arrive. It was a few days after Halloween.

Both Rachel and Chloe had been shocked by the recent news regarding Mark Jefferson. They had agreed that they would need to talk it over with Max and Warren. As coincidence would have it, Max and Warren were already scheduled to visit. Chloe checked her cellphone and saw a text from Max that they would arrive in a few minutes. To Chloe's satisfaction, Max had not used any emojis this time.

The bell rang and Chloe rushed to open the door, and upon seeing her friend Max embraced her tightly. Max thanked her for the grope which made Chloe grin. Chloe then dragged Max inside, Warren followed them.

Max was familiar with the Amber apartment as she'd been a frequent visitor throughout the years. Max often exhibited her photography in the many art galleries of Los Angeles, and always visited Chloe and Rachel whenever she had the opportunity. Seeing Chloe with Rachel always made Max happy, it was such a change from the depths of despair that Chloe had been through. Some of the pictures on the walls in the apartment had been made by Max, and she had given them to Chloe and Rachel as gifts.

It started raining outside and the wind was blowing audibly around the building. "It does create kind of a spooky atmosphere", Warren said. Chloe and Rachel sat together on the couch and Max and Warren occupied chairs on the opposite side of the table.

They talked about the lives Chloe and Rachel were leading, Max's career as a photographer, Warren's Silicon Valley start-up and of course about the baby that Max and Warren were expecting. Chloe especially wanted to know everything and was looking forward to becoming an unofficial aunt.

* * *

Past three o'clock, Rachel served tea. A silence suddenly fell in the room. They all realized that despite the happy reunion, they had talking to do about serious issues. The news could not be ignored. Chloe suggested they might want to have something stronger than tea later.

Chloe started the discussion. _"Well, we've all heard it, we can't ignore it. Just when we try to have a nice reunion here, that fucker is back in the news. I'm sorry Rachel, but I'm not very forgiving when it comes to him."_

"I was appalled to hear what happened", Max said. "But I suppose he had it coming."

Chloe stated that she had sometimes wished for this sort of news. But the fact that it had now actually happened had caught her off guard. Rachel sighed and agreed, moving a little closer to Chloe at the same time. Mark Jefferson was not their favorite topic, to put it mildly.

Max turned to Warren, and asked if he could share all the details he'd been able to find on the recent development. Warren said that according to the FBI, early signs pointed to an organized hit. Most speculation seemed to suggest that Mark Jefferson's death was the work of a fellow inmate. Someone who was a cousin of the father of one of Jefferson's earlier victims. But the police weren't sure. There were some other rumors suggesting a more familiar force behind the events.

"He was beaten to death just days after being moved into general population", Warren said. "That he was even moved to general population is suspicious enough in itself. The CrimeFile website has tons of information. They called him the Darkweb poser-killer, considering his method of forcing models to pose, usually after drugging them, and killing some of them when he was done making pictures. The FBI thinks that people who frequented the Darkweb section where Jefferson put his pictures on display were likely not aware that a few of the models had been murdered."

"At least you won't have to testify anymore", Max said to Rachel.

Rachel said that she was glad about that, as another trial would have been very difficult for her, perhaps more so than the initial trial had been. Rachel recalled that Chloe's presence in the courtroom had been the only reason she had been able to make coherent testimony.

Chloe said she had forgotten all about the horror scenario of the impending re-trial. Justice had seemingly been served a few years earlier when the court had handed down the death penalty for Mark Jefferson, only to be overturned on appeal earlier in 2019 on account of procedural mistakes. A re-trial had been scheduled for 2020, but with Mark Jefferson's death it was no longer needed. The other perpetrator, Nathan Prescott, was still in a psychiatric hospital, his status was unknown.

"You know what I think we should do now", Rachel said to the other three. "We've talked about bits and pieces in the past, Chloe and I have been going to therapy, you guys have visited us many times, but I think it's time we discuss all of it, the whole story, our collective experience. It's not going to be easy but this way we might all be able to get some closure, now that Mark Jefferson is gone for good".

Chloe looked anxiously at Rachel and asked if she was sure. Rachel confirmed she was and Chloe voiced her support for Rachel's suggestion. Max thought it was a good idea but didn't know where to start. Warren suggested that a good starting point would be the day that Max and Chloe reconnected after years apart.

The rain outside kept pouring and the wind intensified. Conditions were getting steadily worse.

Max then offered to start off and Chloe said she was ready to help. _"Alright, time warrior, please rewind."_

* * *

**(Flashback: spring 2013, as told in 2019)**

Max: "I had just returned to Arcadia Bay to prepare for studying photography at Blackwell Academy. I had no idea at the time who Mark Jefferson really was, all I knew then is that he was one of the best regarded teachers. He had organized an extra class for the new students, and I attended it. But all day long, I could not concentrate. Disturbing thoughts just kept going through my mind.

I went to the bathroom because I'd gotten a nosebleed. After freshening up, I suddenly saw a beautiful blue butterfly, and as it landed I decided to make a picture of it. Then it happened, Nathan Prescott barged into the bathroom, he looked very nervous and was talking to himself whilst checking the stalls. Fortunately, he forgot to look around the corner.

Then you appeared, Chloe. But I didn't even recognize you at first. You seemed to be blackmailing Nathan for cash but then he pulled a gun on you and started threatening you. I was so scared at the time, all I could think of was hitting the fire alarm after which you bailed. Nathan fell onto the floor after dropping his gun. I remember having visions of him killing you."

Chloe: _"It seems you saved my life that day, Supermax. And not for the last time."_

Max: "I told principal Wells about Nathan's gun but he didn't seem to want to believe me. I felt a headache and went outside. Then Warren texted me to meet him in the parking lot."

Warren: "I was super excited because I planned to ask Max out to the old drive-in theatre for a scary movie, and wanted to show her the car I bought to take her there."

Max: "I liked your car. But we had barely started to talk when Nathan Prescott showed up. He started shouting at me about how he heard that I had talked to the principal about what happened in the bathroom. He said that no-one was allowed to screw around with him or order him around, not even the principal."

Warren: "Nathan was always screwed up as far as I can remember him, but we didn't realize yet just how much."

Chloe: _"After bailing from the bathroom I went back to my truck. I called Frank Bowers to tell him that I had delivered his packages, which I did before my bathroom confrontation with Nathan. Sitting in my truck, I saw him running towards you two and he seemed to be freaking out. Then suddenly, I realized it was you, Max. I raced towards you and told you to jump in my truck as Nathan started to beat Warren up. You took a hell of a beating for her that day, Warren."_

Max: "As we drove away we saw David Madsen, Chloe's stepdad, intervening. Warren told me later he tried to press charges, but David and the principal did not want to hear about it."

Chloe: _"Blackwell was hella fucked up. They were all covering for that little shit, all because of his dad's money. And Max, I think I still have to apologize to you for being angry with you after you reappeared in my life, five years after you left for Seattle with your parents."_

Max: "No, you don't have to apologize. You were right to be angry with me for not contacting you for so long. When I just got to Seattle, I didn't know what to say to you. And later, I was just so scared of how you would react. Then we lost contact for five years. But I remember I was really happy to see you that day. Though the first few minutes we were back together were eerie.

And then, we finally started to talk. Once back at your home you showed me your room, it was so different from what I remembered, but I guess it was in line with the changes in your appearance. You asked me to switch on the music while you were chillin' on the bed, and then I found out that you were the one who had printed all those missing person posters of Rachel. They were all over Arcadia Bay. I had wondered about that right up to that moment."

Chloe: _"I had tried to investigate her disappearance, but couldn't figure out more than to make posters and to keep asking people if they knew anything. But no one did."_

Rachel: "You did not give up on me, Chloe, I can never forget what you did for me. What all of you did. None of you owed me anything."

Chloe: _"You're wrong, Rachel. I owed you, because like Max, you also saved my life. But darkness had overtaken all my thoughts those days, and I felt more depressed than ever, desperate, fearing that I'd lost you forever. I started behaving recklessly, taking more risks in running jobs for Frank, and all the other bad stuff I did. I didn't care about my safety or anything. I just missed you so terribly much."_

Chloe briefly paused and choked back a tear. Rachel held Chloe's hand and caressed it.

Chloe: _"Had Max not shown up that day, I would probably be dead now. I'd been thinking about it for some time, always postponing it, hoping I'd find some news about you, Rachel, but my hopes were fading with each passing day._

_Anyway, after David confronted me about the gun he was missing and the weed he found in my room, I got angry with him. I said he should leave me alone and that he wasn't even a real cop anyway. Hindsight sure proved me wrong, didn't it? I've never been so happy to be so wrong. David went back downstairs, and later that evening Max and I decided to go to the lighthouse to hang out a bit more and have a place where we could talk."_

* * *

Max: "I am so glad you opened up to me that evening about all your thoughts and fears, Chloe."

Chloe: _"I figured I had nothing to lose anymore. I might as well tell you, my best friend, everything. I'd gotten Rachel's letter months before, the one in which she wrote about how she had met someone that could change her life, someone who could make her famous._

_I was very bitter about it. I was very possessive at the time. Always have been a bit of a drama queen. All things started adding up, my dad dying, my best friend disappearing for years, Rachel showing up and promising a beautiful vision of a life away from Arcadia Hell._

_Then after hearing the truth about Rachel's mother, Rachel and I didn't leave like we had said we would. We kept hanging out together but from time to time Rachel just vanished. I saw her less and less. There were rumors about her being seen hanging around Frank Bowers, but I tried not believing that, and then she disappeared for real._

_I just couldn't handle it anymore. I was tired of feeling like shit all the time. Plus, I owed Frank a lot of money, some of which I had borrowed from him to pay for Rachel and me leaving Arcadia Bay. Everything was closing in on me, that's how I saw it._

_I told Max about how I had tried to steal Nathan Prescott's wallet several weeks earlier, figuring he'd be an easy target. But he was ahead of me, he put something in my drink and when I came to he was there in that empty bar with that weird grin on his face, making pictures of me. If only I had known, Rachel, just how much worse you were having it at that same time, and just how fucked up Nathan was. He turned out to have been completely under the influence of Mark Jefferson._

_Finally, I told Max about how often I'd stand in front of a freight train, only to jump away at the last moment. And maybe that night, without Max, I would have just let the train…"_

Chloe was becoming visibly distraught and Rachel suggested a time-out. Chloe insisted they continue. _"It has to be now, angel"_ , Chloe said.

Chloe: _"David's gun was my backup plan. I lied to you, Max, when I said it was just for self-defense. I had spent some time looking up the best way of doing it, the right angle and all that stuff. I figured that it would only take one moment, and then eternal peace, no more feeling like shit."_

Max: "By then it was clear to me that you were desperately in love with Rachel, I mean really deeply. I didn't know what to say. I hated seeing you in the state you were in, so bitter and sad. I was also blaming myself for adding to your frustrations by my lack of communication all those years. I wanted to try and help you, so I suggested we start investigating Rachel's case for real.

I said that as long as we didn't know where Rachel was, she might be found. And I described to you my nosebleeds and recurring visions about a storm, I suppose we ended up in the center of it."

Chloe: _"You restored a little hope in me that night, Max. I cannot thank you enough for that. You once again proved you were Supermax Caulfield, my best friend. You pulled me back from the brink, you saved my life. And I was very glad you spent the night, Max, I needed company that night. I was totally freaking out."_

Max: "I was happy to be with you again. I do love you, Chloe. There was just no way I was going to leave you alone that night. The next morning, I saw that my camera was broken. Chloe said I could find some tools in the garage. When I was downstairs I discovered weird pictures of Kate Marsh and other girls on David's computer, and boxes filled with documents.

At the time I had no idea he was investigating Rachel's disappearance as well as the pictures. I just thought it was extremely creepy. I mentioned it to Chloe and we talked about it. Afterwards, you drove me back to Blackwell. Surely neither of us expected the drama that played out there that morning."

Chloe: _"You were awesome Max. You weren't just there for me, but also for Kate, and you saved her too. You are a real superhero. They should make a movie about you."_

Max: "I don't remember much about how I talked Kate out of jumping from that building. There are shards of a conversation in my head. But I was so glad when she finally stepped towards me. Kate just kept telling me she remembered absolutely nothing about those horrible pictures being taken, or that video being made. Of course, now we know that she'd been drugged and used like so many other girls.

For some reason they decided to let her live. I guess their goal was to take away her innocence. And also, Victoria and her crew had been picking on Kate for weeks, which added to her state of mind. Chloe and I theorized that maybe Kate's situation was connected with Rachel's disappearance. We didn't know how right we were at the time. We decided to step up our efforts and that's when I said to Chloe we needed more help."

* * *

**(Present time: 2019)**

Chloe looked at Warren knowing that he'd been the help that Max was referring to. Warren felt both proud and awkward at the same time.

Rachel took a deep breath and said that maybe it was time for her to talk about how she and Chloe had met. It might be needed to help Max and Warren understand Chloe's state of mind during those times. Chloe nodded in agreement. The four took a break to order food from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

After dinner, Rachel added that she would also address what happened after the fateful night at her parents' place, and how the shocking revelation about her mother had affected her and her plans to elope with Chloe. That night, Rachel said, had been the catalyst for all subsequent events regarding her and Chloe.

Rachel mentioned to Max and Warren that she and Chloe had often talked about that particular time during therapy, which had greatly helped them both. Rachel added that it would be good to get the story on the table once more. Chloe put her arm around Rachel as Rachel began to tell about how she met Chloe.


	3. Tempest

**Tempest**

(Flashback: 2010-2012, as told in 2019)

Rachel: "What Chloe didn't know at the time, is that I'd been watching her from a distance for quite a while. There was something about her that I absolutely loved and admired. She was so different from other people I knew. I was thinking about ways how I could get to know her better. So I started asking around as to the things she liked.

She wasn't yet the person that I now know so well and love so much. She hadn't dyed her hair blue yet. But I was intrigued, and that's why I decided to skip a rehearsal for the Tempest play when I heard Chloe was going to try and get into the clandestine Firewalk concert. I just had to go there too, making myself look as punk as I could in an attempt to fit in.

I've always been fond of dressing up, whether for acting or modelling, and Chloe told me later that she loved the outfit I was wearing that night. When I first got into the building after distracting the bouncer, I did not see Chloe. The music was amazing and I danced like never before.

Then, I went to the back to try and score some weed off Frank Bowers. There was some commotion upstairs, and when I got there, I saw her. Two skeeves were trying to corner Chloe and there was some kind of argument about spilled beer. I managed to distract them, Chloe ran towards me and we fled downstairs."

Chloe: _"I think that's when Frank saw us together for the first time. The two skeeves came down too and wanted to confront us, but Frank warned them off. That night we just had such a wonderful time, with great music and getting completely wasted."_

* * *

Chloe: _"When I woke up the next morning, I realized that I'd just spent an evening with Rachel Amber. Rachel, the grade A student, actress and model, with her influential father and perfect Stepford housewife mom. I wrote in my journal that I hoped you had some kind of flaw, something like collecting stamps, just to make you a bit less awesome. The feeling that you gave me was that when I was with you, anything was possible. I started obsessing over you, I had a major crush on you, I still do._ _But mom gave me a shit sandwich that morning. She made me let my future stepfather David, whom I hated at the time, take me to school."_

Rachel: "The feeling you mentioned was mutual, Chloe. It always seemed to me that you were someone I'd want to spend time with. And I just could not stop thinking about you. Anyway, not much later I was back at rehearsal for the Tempest play, I heard some noise outside Blackwell's main building. When I opened the front door I saw Drew North confronting Nathan Prescott, and Chloe was caught up in the middle of it. I took her hand and pulled her inside."

Chloe: _"I heard Drew kicked Nathan's ass that day. I wish I'd seen that little shit go down. And it wasn't just him. As you know, Max, Nathan's father was also a major league asshole. He stole money from the pension funds and left the dock workers with almost nothing. He pranced around like he was some kind of big shot. People like principal Wells just kept kissing Prescott ass to try and get more donations for Blackwell."_

Rachel: "After we finish rehearsal, Chloe was just milling about waiting for me to dress. She looked so cute trying to act all cool, but I could see there was more. I suggested we skip school for the rest of the day and go on a road trip. It took a while before you seemed comfortable next to me, Chloe."

Chloe: _"That is because to me you were someone I looked up to. You made me feel so wonderful, so unlike the rest that was going on in my life. I suppose I didn't quite know how to act, I was just so overwhelmed by you."_

Rachel: "We traveled a bit by freight train and jumped out near the park. We had a great time playing all sorts of games, including Two Truths and a Lie. I learned so much about you. I decided it was safe to tell you I was planning to leave Blackwell and Arcadia Bay to pursue my dreams, and you immediately offered to come with me. I was impressed with that.

Then Chloe and I found two viewfinders, but one of them was broken. Somehow, Chloe managed to pry the broken one open, and we recovered so many quarters that we would be able to use that other one forever, if we wanted to. After taking turns, I suddenly saw my father with a woman who was obviously not my mother. And they were making out, I could not believe it, and it greatly upset me. I wanted to get wasted immediately, and Chloe and I stole a bottle of wine from some couple out picnicking."

Chloe: _"I was getting worried about you, your whole demeanor changed and you suddenly froze me out completely, as if the previous hours had never happened."_

Rachel: "I needed to be alone. You kept asking me why, you said that we had something going on and I was ruining it with my behavior. You were right, but I wasn't listening to reason. You told me you felt something more than friendship, but I left you at that junkyard. It was so wrong of me."

Chloe: _"The worst thing was, I found dad's car there almost immediately after. I completely lost it. I was so angry, I questioned everything. One person after another was leaving me behind and anything good that happened to me always fell apart so quickly. I vented my frustration and anger by smashing things all over the place with a baseball bat I found there._

_I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I woke up it was getting dark. I decided to go home. Then out of nowhere, I found you again. Almost as if something invisible had led me back to you."_

* * *

Rachel: "Maybe it was meant to be. I apologized to you for leaving you behind earlier. I showed you a picture of me and my dad, taken on a day where I had sprained an ankle whilst hiking, and he had made me feel so safe, but now I felt like I never wanted to see him again. I set the picture on fire and dropped it in a trashcan. Then I turned to you and said I would give anything to leave Arcadia Bay forever. My dad cheating on my mom was the final straw for me, but little did I know what was really going on. You said that if I wanted it, we should pack our bags and leave Arcadia Bay immediately. We should have done it.

Then you tried to get me to go back home with you, but I still felt frustrated. I kicked over the trashcan and that's what started the forest fire. The fire that would rage for days and ended up destroying much of the forest, as well as the place where Firewalk had performed."

Chloe: _"We walked out of there together, and it took a few hours to get home. I think neither of us got much opportunity to sleep that night, as it was already so late."_

Rachel: "I was up all night just thinking of you, Chloe. You were one of the first people that accepted me for who I really was. I'd been trying to pretend to be someone I was not for so long, that I was unused to anyone who treated me like you did."

* * *

Chloe: _"The next morning, we were in the principal's office, with our parents. I will never forget how you took the blame for our absence the previous day. Because of you, I only got suspended and not expelled. You got kicked out of the Tempest play. We were both grounded by our parents. Just before I was about to empty my locker at Blackwell, you told me to meet you later at the junkyard._

_To make a shitty situation worse, mom told me in the parking lot that she and David had agreed he was going to move in with us, and he made me empty my pockets. Right from the start, he started behaving like he was my father, I hated that. He opened the car door for me, but I grabbed my stuff, kicked the door shut and bailed._

_At the junkyard I found the truck I ended up driving all these years. A really sorry piece of shit it was, but it was going to be mine, and that's what counted. I didn't have much and I cherished anything that I thought no one could take from me."_

Rachel: "We only just got rid of it last year, the suspension and engine had completely worn out. Chloe looked so sad when she bade it farewell."

Chloe: _"It was time for the old clunker to go. Anyway, you showed up at the junkyard and we talked some more. You made me lie down, and you were playing therapist. I should have told you I hated therapy, and I had already quit the therapy mom made me go to after dad died. You made me feel really good again, and I was so nervous when I felt your hands in my hair. I think I was already in love with you._

_We found this abandoned shack that we decided to make our little home, and decorated it with as much stuff as we could find. You gave me a duffel bag with some clothes in them, and some supplies. I was so grateful. But I was sad you had to go."_

Rachel: "I had to go home, I didn't yet know that my home was all a lie, otherwise I would have stayed with you."

* * *

Chloe: _"I visited Frank afterwards. He had texted me earlier. When I got to his RV, I saw that woman we'd seen with your father. I asked Frank about it and he told me that her name was Sera and she was working with his partner Damon on expanding their territory. Frank said he knew I'd never have the money to pay him back, so he offered me an opportunity to pay off my debts by running errands for him. Delivering packages and all that, I figured it would be a good idea, it would give me something to do."_

Rachel: "Chloe joined me backstage at the Tempest play the next day. I'd been removed from the play by the principal as we said earlier, but Mr. Keaton let us hang out backstage as a favor. Victoria Chase had taken over my part as Prospera, and you guys should know that Chloe totally put something in Victoria's tea, a laxative of some sort, because she started feeling ill immediately."

Max: "Seriously, Chloe? I wish I could have seen that."

Chloe: _"It was so awesome, she ran away and Mr. Keaton didn't know what to do until someone pointed out Rachel could still play her part. Mr. Keaton agreed and that's how Rachel ended up performing on stage that evening."_

Rachel: "Then we heard that Juliet Watson was late, and I immediately volunteered Chloe to take over the Ariel part until Juliet would arrive. I loved seeing Chloe look so shocked, and was so glad she agreed to do it. She knew little about what she was supposed to do. But Chloe has always been someone who can do something really well and learn really fast if she puts her mind to it.

It was going just perfect until one moment I just got mesmerized seeing Chloe as Ariel. I got on my knees and went off script. I still know what I said to Chloe at the time: _"For but a little longer I beseech, continue in thy service to my schemes. And when they are complete, I swear to thee: we shall fly beyond this isle – the corners of the world our mere prologue. I'll seek to make thy happiness so great that e'en the name of liberty's forgot. What sayest thou to my most hopeful wish?"_

The moment was like magic, someone shouted that Chloe should say yes. And much to my joy, Chloe did say yes, of course she did. I was over the moon. After the play, Mr. Keaton said he thought it was one of the most magical things he'd ever seen. We decided to walk to my parents' house and we talked about the future. Chloe interrupted me and said I shouldn't promise her a vision of a future that would never come to pass, as that would only make her sad again.

So I decided to ask her how I could prove to her that I meant it, that I really did want to elope with her, right that very night. Chloe then gave me that look, I knew what she wanted. We kissed like never before. It seemed to last forever. We were two people in love, blind to the dangers ahead."

Max and Warren were listening intensely, completely captured by the beautiful scene Rachel was describing. None of the four noticed how the rain and storm outside were getting even worse than before.

* * *

Rachel: "My dad caught me trying to sneak upstairs to get my things. Chloe and I agreed to stay for dinner. For some reason I lost my cool, and I confronted my dad about the woman we'd seen with him earlier. And that's when it happened.

Dad told me the woman I had seen with him was in fact my biological mother, her name was Sera. My world collapsed around me, my whole life, our family, all had been a lie. Dad had been in love with this woman and gotten her pregnant with me. But after my birth she turned into a junkie. Dad always kept loving her and supporting her, giving her cash. But he knew she would never be able to be a good mother for me.

As Chloe pointed out, my biological mother had gotten involved with Frank and Damon, and against Frank's wishes she and Damon were trying to expand the business. In the end, I only ever saw her a few times, mostly when she was hanging around Frank's RV.

My dad had entered into a marriage of convenience with the woman I always thought was my mother. Their marriage furthered my dad's career and my supposed mom's status. For sixteen years I didn't know, though I think I had some suspicions that something was wrong all along.

Chloe knows how it affected me to find out about all of it. Both of us went outside and Chloe pleaded with me that we should leave Arcadia Bay at once. Again, I should have listened. I made a promise and didn't keep it, and had to pay for that later."

Chloe: _"The two of us, both from broken homes, just for different reasons. Both of us at the end of our wits, and both wanting to leave. But I understood when Rachel said she needed time to think things over, and she asked me to meet her the next day at the junkyard. I would have gone anywhere with her without hesitation. I still would."_

* * *

Rachel: "The next day I told Chloe that it wasn't the right moment to leave yet. We had little money and no transportation. More and more, we started hanging out at the junkyard. It became something of a home to us both.

But much like Chloe, I was slowly spiraling downwards. In our little junkyard shack, Chloe and I talked about everything. Our hopes and dreams. About Chloe's father. About my parents. About how much Chloe missed you, Max. About how much she hated her stepfather. It really bothered her that her mom was increasingly taking his side over hers. And Chloe often asked me how I felt, she was concerned for me when no one else was.

I rarely went home those days, and even when I did, I didn't acknowledge either my dad or my ex-mom. Chloe and I had a lot in common. But despite the fact that we were so close, we were slowly drifting apart, even if neither of us noticed it early on.

The year 2010 went, and throughout 2011 Chloe and I kept seeing each other, but from time to time I just stood her up. And I guess that happened more often every month. It should have never happened. Both of us increasingly skipped school. Our grades went from bad to worse."

Chloe: _"Until therapy a few years ago, I did not understand what was going on with you at the time. I slowly started sinking into a depression. After a while you seemed to have forgotten about your promise to take me away. I was panicking as I thought I would never be able to leave behind the miserable life I was leading. I wanted that future with you so desperately."_

Rachel: "My drug use was steadily increasing, I started seeing Frank Bowers more and more often, but I didn't always have money to pay. Frank suggested that I stick around, and he seemed to care about me. I think he saw something in me. I let him believe it. I posed for him, wrote him letters, anything to make sure he'd keep supplying me with the drugs to numb the pain.

And despite all the rumors, I never actually did have a sexual relationship with him. He was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of me. I am so sorry I disappointed you, Chloe, and that you had to hear all these things about me from others."

Chloe: _"I felt betrayed every time I heard the rumors. I don't blame you now, Rachel, but I blamed you then. I was jealous and started taking it out on the other people in my life, such as my mother. I also changed my appearance because I wanted to forget about what had been, but it was impossible to forget about you. The more we drifted apart, the more I longed to see you again and just be with you."_

Rachel: "And you were right to blame me. We were needlessly growing apart at the moment we needed each other the most. At some point, I thought I was going to turn into my biological mother, and become a junkie. From time to time, I saw her as she was hanging around Frank's RV along with Damon. But she was always cold and distant and didn't seem interested in me at all, perhaps even considering me a rival. Not long after, it must have been late 2011, the police showed up and started questioning me and Frank. My biological mom and Damon had suddenly disappeared.

We then found out that they had been killed, because they had encroached on territory that had belonged to other drug dealers. Those other dealers also threatened Frank to stay out, which he solemnly promised to do. Frank acts tough all the time, but he was always smart. Much smarter than Damon and my biological mother. I guess their deaths didn't affect me as much as they should have. To this day I find it difficult to have feelings about it. Is that wrong of me? I don't really know.

In 2012, I still kept seeing Chloe occasionally, and I liked her new look a lot. She was worried about me because we would only hang out a few times a month. She'd finally been able to get her junkyard truck to work, and we drove around Arcadia Bay a few times. Every time we did meet, she asked me to let her drive me away to Los Angeles, and I rejected her every single time. Those were some of the worst decisions I ever made, even if the very worst one was still to come."

* * *

Chloe: _"The mistake was all mine. I should not have given you the choice, and should just have driven away with you when I had the chance. I still find it very hard to forgive myself for it."_

Rachel cuddled up to Chloe as if to say there was nothing to forgive. "I'm so happy to be here with you, Chloe. And with Max and Warren. I feel so safe here with all of you near me". Chloe turned to Rachel, embraced her and kissed her forehead.

Rachel: "I ran into Nathan Prescott again in the early summer of 2012. He'd often seen me in school and during Vortex Club activities, and knew of my dream to become a model. He told me that he liked me and wanted to help me. I shouldn't have listened. He said he knew someone who would be able to make a great portfolio for me. Little did I know what was in store for me.

By then, Nathan was already completely under Mark Jefferson's control. I didn't know or didn't want to see that Nathan was lusting after me. Jefferson was keeping Nathan supplied with all the latest drugs, and it screwed Nathan up worse than he already was.

Nathan's father had funded their Dark Room, or so Mark Jefferson told me during my imprisonment. Mr. Jefferson had fooled Nathan's father into thinking that he would turn Nathan into an artist, and that the Dark Room was only needed so Nathan could have all the best training and preparation.

Neither Nathan, nor his father realized who Mark Jefferson really was and what he'd already done. They didn't know about the terrible things that had happened to those girls in Seattle, who ended up dead. Jefferson had both Prescotts under his spell, though in different ways."

Chloe: _"No one knew who he really was. No one except him knew. And you couldn't have known, Rachel. It was not your fault, I'll never blame you for it and you know it. I blame myself for letting you drift away from me. Why didn't I do something when you started freezing me out so often?"_

Chloe had difficulty suppressing her emotions as Rachel was speaking. Max leaned over to ask Chloe if she was alright.

 _"I must look like a complete mess to all of you"_ , Chloe said. _"Some couple Rachel and me are, huh. Both of us had fucked up lives, and both of us were emotional wrecks waiting to happen. Birds of a feather I suppose…"_

* * *

Rachel: "Just after my 18th birthday I saw Chloe one last time, before it happened. She wanted to talk to me and hoped I'd stick around. But I left her when she was distracted. I went over to Frank Bowers and told him my plan. He wished me luck after I explained it to him. It was the plan I had written about in a letter I left for Chloe in our junkyard shack.

In the letter, I said that I had found someone who had promised to make me famous. And once I was a success, I would come back for Chloe and take her away with me. I was so sure the plan would work. I had no idea what was about to happen, no idea that I wouldn't see Chloe again for nine months.

Nathan picked me up on the 27th of July, taking me to Mark Jefferson and the Dark Room. When we got there, Nathan left immediately and Mr. Jefferson started complimenting me and telling me how I was going to be famous, and how he saw things in me that he had never seen in anyone else. He'd seen me around in school, and Nathan had told him I wanted to be a model. I bought all of his lies, I was so naive.

Mark Jefferson photographed me from every angle, and in many different outfits. I was impressed with his work and his photography equipment. He seemed so much more professional than other photographers I had posed for. I never questioned for one second the strange remote location I was in, or the secrecy that surrounded the place.

After six hours Mr. Jefferson told me he was done for the day, and instructed me to put my regular clothes back on so he could take me back and drop me off at Blackwell. I felt really good about the session, and was looking forward to him building my portfolio, he had such a good reputation. My back was turned for a moment, and I failed to notice him sneaking up on me. I felt something stinging and I started blacking out."

* * *

**(Present time: 2019)**

Chloe noted how late it was and suggested that it was time to go to bed. Chloe suggested that Max and Warren take the spare bedroom. Warren checked his cellphone and mentioned there was an official weather alert for Southern California. People were being told to stay indoors as much as possible, as the storm was likely to increase in force.

"We will continue tomorrow", Rachel said. Chloe suggested that the next day, she and Max would start talking about how they set up their investigation. It would give Rachel a break. Rachel was relieved as she was emotionally drained after talking for so long about the events that led to her imprisonment.

Chloe looked at Rachel and promised to watch over her that night.


	4. Crime

**Crime**

(Present time: 2019)

It was early in the morning, and Chloe was giving Rachel a series of cuddles. Max and Warren were eating breakfast.

"It looks like we are not going anywhere today", Max said to Rachel, Chloe and Warren. "That storm outside doesn't seem to be dying down anytime soon. And it is really strange, I dreamed of this storm last night. It was much like the visions I had back then, Chloe."

 _"I remember"_ , Chloe answered Max. _"You kept freaking out over those visions. You told me that something big was about to go down, and I guess it did. And I also remember all those weird moments where you seemed to lose track of time. What do you think your dream foreshadows now?"_

Max said she had no idea. But if the story ended up having a happy ending like it had back in 2013, she'd be really pleased.

After breakfast, Chloe said she was ready to continue. And Warren had been busy reading up on the Mark Jefferson case on his phone.

"This guy on the CrimeFile discussion board says that he heard about how Nathan's father, Prescott senior, was a good friend of the warden of the prison Mark Jefferson had been in. The warden apparently moved Mark Jefferson from death row to general population immediately after the re-trial was ordered. Completely against the rules, but I remember a time that there were few things Prescott money couldn't buy. It almost reads like a too-good-to-be-true conspiracy theory. I'll keep following the discussion."

"Looks like Prescott senior is still trying to get Nathan recognized as a victim of Mr. Jefferson", Max added. "They tried it in the trial, but after your testimony, Rachel, no one bought Nathan's lies anymore. They're not going to let him out of the psychiatric hospital".

Chloe added that although she realized it was wrong of her to think it, she kind of wished Nathan would suffer the same fate Mark Jefferson had. One thing Chloe had never gotten over, was her intense hatred for Nathan Prescott. She and Rachel were happy now and the last thing she needed in her life was more Prescott shit.

* * *

**(Flashback: spring 2013, as told in 2019)**

Max: "As we said yesterday, Chloe and I started suspecting that the case of Kate Marsh might be related to your disappearance, Rachel. I knew that Warren was really good at finding stuff on the internet, like movies and TV series, so maybe he could find just where these pictures might be on display."

Chloe: _"Warren was very eager to help us. Even back then, it was so obvious he had a huge crush on you, Max. And you pretended not to notice, very badly."_

Max: "I was aware. I was just focused on other things. To continue, Chloe took me to the junkyard, where she and Rachel had spent so much time together. There was a shack there, it had an eerie sort of feel to it, almost like someone had tried to turn it into a home. There were hints of Chloe and Rachel all over. Also, someone had written _"I want to die"_ on one of the walls. I knew it was you, Chloe. However, I decided not to confront you about it.

We were hanging out most of the day, reminiscing, talking about our childhood and how happy we had been, our adventures as Captain Chloe and First Max, and of course about the first few clues we had gathered in our investigation."

Chloe: _"For me, the junkyard had been a home away from hell, as I called my life back then. But Max and I weren't alone that day. Frank Bowers showed up. He had been texting me about the next packages I was supposed to come pick up and deliver for him._ _He was not happy and demanded to know why I had not answered him. We argued back and forth. He demanded I either continue working for him, or pay him the money I owed. Then suddenly I noticed he was wearing one of Rachel's bracelets. I'd never seen him wear it before._

_We started yelling at each other, I told him I knew it was Rachel's bracelet and demanded to know where he had gotten it. Frank told me Rachel had given it to him out of appreciation for the things he'd done for her. And he said if I ever wanted to know more, I should ask Rachel, as he was sure I knew where she was and he knew we were close._

_I blurted out that I did not know where she was, and that she had left me this letter detailing how she had to leave me for a while in order to make it. At the time, I had not even read the second half of the letter. And I only found out afterwards, that the second half of the letter explained some of the reasons why, and that she hadn't forgotten about me. But at the time I was so upset after reading the first half of the letter that I quit reading it._

_After our shouting match, Frank left and Max suggested we leave too. Max said she would buy me dinner at the Two Whales Diner, where my mom worked. And guess who we ran into?"_

* * *

Max: "There he was again. Frank was eating dinner, and I don't think he ever saw us come in. Chloe and I discussed how Frank obviously knew more about Rachel, and that we had to find out exactly what he knew. Chloe suggested we break into his RV. I was a little apprehensive but Chloe convinced me that we could do it unnoticed.

We stuffed our mouths very quickly, Chloe's mom Joyce came over and told us to eat more slowly if we wanted to avoid choking on something. Chloe suggested to her mom that she try to keep Frank Bowers busy. For some reason she did it, without asking us why. Joyce really knows how to keep customers talking and it was no different with Frank."

Chloe: _"So with Frank distracted, we snuck over to his RV. I knew that his dog Pompidou would likely be inside and we had to distract it as well. I searched the nearby trash cans and found a bone that I gave to Max. Once I had lockpicked the door, the dog jumped out and Max threw the bone towards the back of the parking lot. Pompidou went straight after it._

_We went into the RV, and I saw that Frank's computer was unlocked. I started searching for any information that might be on it. Max was looking through his files and found his phonebook."_

Max: "I also found a scrapbook which contained pictures of and letters from Rachel. I hesitated and thought maybe I should keep that hidden from Chloe. Chloe called me over to the computer and showed me some other pictures of Rachel. Chloe got upset about them, and even more so when I showed her what I'd found. She kept insisting that surely Rachel had just posed for these pictures, and there was nothing more to it.

We took the phonebook with us as we saw it contained names and numbers, though many of them were encoded. After leaving the RV, we managed to reach Chloe's truck and we drove away before Frank could notice us. Though I'm sure he soon realized that someone had been inside his RV, as his phonebook was now missing, and in our possession."

Chloe: _"I was angry about what we had seen. I couldn't help but feel betrayed. My brain worked overtime to come up with scenario's where everything we'd seen in Frank's RV could be explained in a simple manner. I'd settle for any explanation that did not mean a Frank and Rachel relationship of any kind. Now today, I know what happened, and I understand everything, but at the time I did not understand at all. My emotions ranged on a scale from despair to rage._

_Back in my room, we went through Frank's entire phonebook, but we couldn't make any sense of it. Warren texted Max he was working on a lead regarding those pictures of Kate. Someone on one of those website forums had recognized the style from somewhere else."_

Warren: "I'd been asking around anonymously. Rather surprisingly, I had a quick lead from someone who mentioned the Darkweb, but I was going to need time to follow up on that."

* * *

Chloe: _"Max and I talked about who else would know more about Rachel, apart from Frank. Max suggested that Blackwell might have some records on her. I said I was sure that principal Wells still had the files on Rachel getting bounced from the play and me getting suspended. Max and I looked at each other and we both knew we were going to break in and get access to those files._

_We waited until it was dark and I drove us to Blackwell. We parked somewhere out of sight. Surprisingly, the front door was still unlocked. Almost as if my stepdad left the door open for us deliberately. Of course he wouldn't have, but in hindsight you'd almost think it."_

Max: "That night did kind of have that whole scary movie vibe to it. Almost as if there was a psycho-killer stalking us, well maybe Mr. Jefferson, though we were still oblivious. However, it did really feel good to be on an adventure with my best friend again, even if it was serious business."

Chloe: _"Max never explained how exactly she managed to get into principal Wells' office before me. There was another one of those weird time warps that just kept happening. It had started to rain, much like it does outside now. And for some reason, I couldn't keep my eyes off Max that evening. Supermax and me were living a life of crime that day, and there was something hella awesome about it."_

Max: "I outsmarted Chloe the keymaster. Once we were in the office, we booted the principal's computer and checked Rachel's file. We checked our own files as well, and then we found very disturbing things in Nathan's file. There were some of those pictures of Kate Marsh, and all sorts of notes on how Nathan and Rachel had accused each other of bringing drugs to school. I wonder if Wells ever reported anything to the police."

Chloe: _"You didn't need to be a genius to guess whose side Wells was on. Of course, he hadn't reported anything to anyone, he would never do anything to endanger Prescott cash. Rachel and me had to suffer his so-called justice, whilst Nathan could do whatever he wanted."_

Max: "The files cabinet had a lot more information. The creepiest thing was not that Wells seemed to have confiscated Nathan's diary, but that the diary mentioned the Dark Room. Obviously, we didn't know what it meant at the time. On one of the pages it said "Rachel in the Dark Room", multiple times. That really startled us. Also, there were lots of numbers on that page. We later speculated that some of those might be coordinates or coded telephone numbers.

The principal seems to have been concerned for Nathan's mental health. There was a note from a psychiatrist that recommended serious treatment, as Nathan was behaving in increasingly erratic ways. If only Wells had followed up on that."

Chloe: _"We took the diary with us. And as we couldn't risk forwarding the e-mails to our own phones, Max made some pictures of them. And she also photographed some of the other information we found on the computer. Once we had left the office, I suggested to Max we take a swim in Blackwell's pool to celebrate our haul. I'm still glad Max didn't try to talk me out of it._

_We had no bathing gear with us, so we just went into the pool in our underwear. It took a while before Max actually jumped in. I don't know what came over me, but at some point I just double dared Max to kiss me. And the most surprising thing was that she didn't even hesitate, and did it. That kind of shocked me."_

Max: "I was like "wowser", it just felt like the right thing to do. With the rain outside, the near full moon, and the way Chloe looked at me, I just felt I could not disappoint her."

Chloe: _"I told Max that I once had a crush on her. We've always been friends and always will be, but at times I thought there might be more. I've always thought Max was awesome, I still do. But deep down I knew that Max and I were not… how do you say that… romantically inclined in the same way. Max always liked it if some nice boy crushed on her, though she never reciprocated until much later._

 _I had my thing with Eliot. Rachel knows this too. Eliot was a good friend, and I guess he was just there when I needed someone to be with me. I'll never regret it, and he was kind of awesome compared to some of the shits running around Blackwell those days. I'll always thank him for helping me discover myself. And I_ _teased Max that I would text Warren that he had no chance after she had kissed me, unless he was into girl-on-girl action."_

Warren: "You did send me that text, for real."

Max: "I was surprised she actually sent the text. Anyway, Chloe and I had already talked about so much that week. But that night, when we were in the pool, Chloe told me so many things that I never knew about her before. It pained me to hear how much she missed you, Rachel, and how she was desperate to see you again.

The way Chloe described you, and her feelings for you, made me feel so sad. But I knew I needed to be strong and I told Chloe she needed to be strong, if we were to find you, Rachel. I could not contemplate the alternative."

Rachel: "I will always consider you three heroes for not giving up on me. Especially you two, Max and Warren, since unlike Chloe you didn't know much about me at all. And Chloe will always be much more than a hero to me".

Rachel put her arm around Chloe and looked at her with a smile on her face. Chloe blushed and returned an awkward smirk.

Chloe: _"I'm glad Max and I shared that moment there that night. Max, it was hella awesome that you were willing to listen to all my confused feelings and ramblings. I must have sounded like a madman. Then, j_ _ust when we had dressed ourselves, as if on cue, stepdad showed up to investigate our break-in. Somehow, we got past him without him seeing us."_

* * *

Chloe: _"When we drove away, I remembered what Max had told me about my stepdad's computer. I said to Max that we needed to know everything that he might have on the case. Max had only seen a little bit of the material that he had._

_After we spent the night in my room, the next morning we went downstairs and heard David complaining about the Blackwell break-in. When he saw Max and me, he started questioning us and asked if we knew anything. We denied everything of course, and he was none the wiser, or so we thought. Mom was blissfully unaware of what we were all doing. I guess she was just happy that I wasn't picking a fight with David that morning."_

Max: "Once David had gone upstairs, I went to talk to Joyce while Chloe checked David's computer in the garage. Your mom was really concerned about you, Chloe. She told me she couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen you happy, apart from the few times she saw you with Rachel. She didn't yet know how you were desperately in love with Rachel, and she hated how you and David were fighting most of the time. She also said she would sacrifice anything just to see you smile once more."

Chloe: _"I did not treat her like I should have. Mom was as upset over my father's death as I was. She just had a different coping mechanism. I didn't see that at the time, preferring to focus only on my own grief. It was wrong of me. My mom is really awesome._

_As for David's computer, I couldn't get any information as it was password encrypted, which it wasn't before. When I told you, Max, you asked Warren to hack it. Without skipping a beat, you conspired to commit more crime. I was hella impressed. In a short time I saw you be the Blackwell Ninja, MaxGyver and the Noir Angel. No sight of Moral Max at all. I think poor Warren here didn't get any sleep at all, the assignments from Max and me were piling up."_

Warren: "It was not a problem for me. I got my sleep later. And it was worth helping you guys out. Plus, the promise of a movie night with Max was a great motivator."

* * *

Max: "I ended up forgetting about that promise, at least for a while. The next day, the three of us got together in my dorm room, and we started piecing together all the clues. I think I coined the phrase _"CSI: Arcadia Bay"_ , or maybe you did, Chloe?

Up to that point we had the pictures of Kate and Rachel, David's computer files which also contained pictures of other girls who had disappeared in the past, Warren's internet leads, the files from the principal's office, Frank's phonebook and Nathan's creepy diary. We studied everything for hours and completely forgot time. We came to the conclusion that we needed even more information.

What we were really looking for, was the key to translating the coded entries in Frank's phonebook so we could find out just who the mysterious clients were whose names weren't openly mentioned. We needed to know if one of those clients was Nathan Prescott. Also, we needed Nathan's phone records to be able to prove he had been in contact with Frank.

We figured that if we could establish that Nathan Prescott had been buying drugs from Frank, we'd be a lot closer to finding answers. If Rachel had really been involved with Frank, Nathan might have seen her whilst buying drugs. And if Nathan had been buying drugs, he would be the one that brought them to Blackwell. Principal Wells seemed to have thought that it was Rachel.

Another priority, once we'd be able to connect Nathan with buying drugs from Frank, was finding the location he was using for storing the drugs. Also, we had to establish where all those various pictures of Rachel and those other girls had been made. Maybe Nathan's dorm room was hiding some clues. None of us even suspected Mark Jefferson at the time."

Chloe: _"We couldn't conclusively prove anything, but all three of us suspected that Nathan was involved in your disappearance, Rachel. It started adding up in our minds. I felt real hope for the first time in a long while. The thing is, our theories were just pure guesswork. We had no idea what we were doing or getting ourselves involved in._ _Which is why I am so grateful that Max talked me into agreeing to have Warren leak all our clues to David anonymously._

_I agreed only because I thought it might help Rachel, in hindsight we should have done it much earlier. Max pointed out that David might be a much better investigator than the three of us were, and with the same clues we had, David might be able to figure out things that we might be missing. Only one thing counted, and that was finding you, Rach. It was not the right time for any of my petty hatreds and feuds."_

* * *

**(Present time: 2019)**

Rachel and Chloe went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. It was already past two o'clock, and once again the four had lost track of time whilst talking.

Max was looking wistfully out of the window, she mentioned to Warren how she thought the storm might be raging just for the single purpose of keeping them all inside until they could finish talking. "It's a strange thought, I know", she said. "We're here and this storm happens, all of that combined with the death of Mark Jefferson. It's almost like this is meant to be."

During lunch Chloe pointed out that they were more than halfway talking about their exploits as _"CSI: Arcadia Bay"_. She looked at Rachel and said that Rachel didn't have to talk about her Dark Room experience afterwards if she didn't want to, but Rachel insisted she should. "Like I told you yesterday, my angel, it will help me get closure. Let's see how far we can get today. You're all here with me so I'll be able to do this. Now that Mark Jefferson is gone it will be good to get it out of my system once and for all."

Rachel continued by saying to Max and Warren that once they were all done talking about the heavy stuff, they could also talk about how happy she and Chloe had been since coming to Los Angeles, despite some court related drama. "We must remember what happened, but we must never forget to continue living. To laugh, to cry, to remember and to look forward to good things as well. Max, we haven't even talked much about your pregnancy yet. Me and Chloe are looking forward to hearing all about it. But first things first."


	5. Location

**Location**

(Flashback: spring 2013, as told in 2019)

Max: "I think I was getting a little bit too used to a life of crime and investigation. But we had already found so many clues, that we could not afford to give up at that stage. And besides, helping Chloe finding Rachel was my only concern at the time. To me it was an _"anything goes"_ situation."

Chloe: _"Max and I were driving around discussing if there was anyone else we could still confront for information. Max received a call from Warren, who told us we had to come to his dorm room immediately as he had found something that could be huge, but he couldn't tell us on the phone._

_We were so focused on the investigation that I failed to pay attention to the fuel gauge. We ran out of fuel near the exit to the forest. The nearest fuel station was a few miles away, Max and I decided to walk and get some fuel there. Max dipped into her scholarship fund to pay for it and we returned to the truck, but we had lost precious time."_

Max: "Warren kept sending me text after text urging us to hurry up. It took some time but we finally arrived at Blackwell and ran over to Warren's room. When Warren opened his door I immediately saw something was wrong. I knew that look. Warren pointed to the screen of his computer and there it was, a whole set of pictures featuring Rachel. Warren had found a section of the Darkweb where pictures of Rachel were on display. And there were pictures of some other girls too.

Warren told us that two of those girls had been reported missing two years earlier. They were both from Seattle, and still hadn't been found. We felt unsettled because of those pictures. Also, there seemed to be a familiar theme to them. I could see that whoever made them, had taken great pride in doing so. I recalled a book Mr. Jefferson had written on how to create themes in your work. For a while, I entertained the thought to ask him to help us out with the case. I can't tell you just how glad I am now for not doing so. It would have given everything away and I don't even want to contemplate the possible consequences."

Chloe: _"The pictures in which Rachel was restrained were like stabs to my heart. Max said it looked as if Rachel was awake and aware when the pictures had been taken. She looked so furious in them, and that seemed so unusual for any kind of picture set_. _Then we remembered that Nathan Prescott's dorm room was on our list, and as it was right around the corner, we should check it out pronto. We sent Warren ahead to knock on the door to make sure Nathan wasn't there. There was no answer, Max and I came over to break into Nathan's room and we put Warren on lookout._

_His phone wasn't there, obviously he had taken it with him. We checked all the drawers and his computer. In a box hidden under his bed we found another diary, some drugs and more pictures of Rachel. I was getting ready to kill him as I was now sure he was behind Rachel's disappearance. Max calmed me down and said we should keep looking."_

Max: "The pictures had the same setting and theme to them as those that Warren had showed us on the Darkweb. I told Chloe she was likely right about her suspicion. On Nathan's computer, we found an e-mail from his father to Mark Jefferson expressing approval for Nathan's progress. Apparently, Mr. Jefferson had been feeding misinformation to Nathan's father to convince him Nathan was doing well. We had seen enough and we bailed."

* * *

Max: "The three of us were just about to leave the building, when Nathan barged in through the door. He started shouting at us. Some of it was nothing but paranoid ramblings, but on one thing he wasn't wrong, although he couldn't have known it yet. After all, we had been in his room, that part was true. Then he issued some threats to me and Chloe, and said he would get me expelled if I ever came near him again."

Chloe: _"Out of nowhere, Warren stepped in and totally headbutted him. Warren was in a frenzy and just kept kicking and beating Nathan which I thought was awesome, but Max looked a bit concerned and pulled him away."_

Warren: "I don't remember much of that moment, just that I didn't like him threatening you two. But I did clearly recall how he'd beaten me up earlier."

Max: "You were not yourself, Warren. I'm still glad you protected Chloe and me, but I wasn't sure if you were going to stop beating him. We ran out of the building hearing Nathan shout more vague threats after us. Not much later, Nathan must have found out that someone had been in his room. He called Mark Jefferson almost immediately, that much we learned from the trial against the two of them, and the phone records presented in court."

Chloe: _"We were blissfully unaware at the time. I think that Mark Jefferson may have started to suspect someone was investigating the case, after Nathan called him. Or at least he will have suspected someone was looking into Nathan's affairs. That can't have been good for you, Rachel."_

Rachel: "It was near the end of my imprisonment. I still had no hope anyone was ever going to come to help me. Mark Jefferson's behavior did change markedly all of a sudden. He was rushing things along. I remember it because I wasn't drugged up at the time. Just desperate for any sign of help. And always thinking of you, Chloe, and how much I missed you and regretted my decisions. I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to set things right, or even see you again, I was pretty much resigned to my fate."

Max: "Once we reached my dorm room I gave Warren a kiss as a thank you, he so deserved it. Then we started reading Nathan's second diary. It was even more disturbing than the first one. He was in such a bad state of mind that much of it made no sense at all. There were more mentions of Rachel. He seemed to have been obsessed with you, Rachel, and probably had been for a while.

We theorized that Nathan might be on some kind of drugs, so we obviously had to go and check with Frank. We had no time to lose, so if necessary, we would just have to confront Frank and demand answers. Chloe and I got ready to leave and Warren said he'd try to sneak back into his own room. We suggested he barricade his door just in case."

Warren: "I did, I was scared as hell. I had a job to do, though. Max and Chloe were doing the fieldwork, and I continued trying to find clues online. Also, I attempted to make sense of the stuff in Nathan's diaries. We had to figure out where all those pictures had been made. I started entering all the numbers from the diaries into a small database, and I designed some scripts and queries to try and make sense out of them."

Max: "You also kept leaking the information to David Madsen, anonymously, as I told you to do. Chloe, Warren and I made a good team. As we said Chloe and I were going to find Frank. He wasn't at his usual location so we had to ask around. It took several hours before we managed to find his RV, it was parked near the shore."

* * *

Max: "Frank couldn't be seen outside, but the lights were on in the RV, so we knew he was there. I knocked on the door and he opened. He was not pleased to see us. He tore into Chloe and immediately demanded his money. It devolved into another shouting match between Chloe and Frank. Both of them were visibly upset and angry.

I knew I had to break that cycle of recriminations, so I mentioned to him that I thought it was really wonderful how he had saved those dogs. It seemed to catch him off guard that I knew about it. I had seen a small article in the news about how he had rescued a number of dogs that had been used for an illegal fighting ring."

Chloe: _"Max managed to calm him down. We said we needed to ask him some questions about his customers. He stated his suspicion that we had been the ones who took his phonebook. I told him we were trying to find Rachel._

_He told us that it looked to him that we had no idea what we were doing, and that we shouldn't be trying to play amateur detective. "You two lasses", as he called us, we were in way over our heads. He was not wrong. However, he agreed to answer our questions. He said that if there was even the smallest chance we might find Rachel, he'd help us out."_

Max: "Frank immediately confirmed that Nathan Prescott had been one of his major clients. He'd been getting unsettled about the increasingly exotic drugs that Nathan was demanding, but as long as money was forthcoming he had gone along with it. Demand and supply, he said.

Frank helped us link Nathan to the drugs at Blackwell, this also confirmed our suspicion that Nathan was using drugs himself. It left us needing just one more piece of the puzzle, the location where the pictures of Rachel had been made. Both Chloe and I were sure Nathan was the one who had kidnapped Rachel, and was maybe still holding her captive somewhere.

Frank interrupted our debate and asked if he was correct in assuming that Chloe and Rachel had been in love. He admitted he had felt something for Rachel when she was hanging out with him, but he never let it go very far, as he had suspected that deep down Rachel was committed to someone else. Chloe seemed very relieved and thanked Frank. As we started leaving Frank said he hoped we would find Rachel, and we could talk about Chloe's debts later."

* * *

Chloe: _"On our way back Max speculated that Nathan's hideout was likely on a plot of land owned by the Prescotts. Max said that we should check out exactly which land they owned in and near Arcadia Bay. She called Warren about it and we agreed we would discuss our next move in the morning. It was early May and Rachel had been missing for nine months._

_When we got to my house, it was already very late and mom and David asked where we had been. We lied and told them we'd been hanging out at the lighthouse. But when we went upstairs I said to Max I wasn't sure that they believed us. David had that look of suspicion on his face, the same look he would have whenever he searched my room for drugs._

_I was getting real scared that we weren't going to figure out the location, or maybe too late to save Rachel. Maybe it was all a dead end and we would have to start over again. Max agreed to let me hold her that night, as I needed to feel that I wasn't alone."_

Rachel: "That was really nice of you, Max. I totally understand that you and Chloe were getting back to being close friends. Plus, I don't mind about the swimming pool kiss or you two sleeping in the same bed. Sorry Warren, no offense meant."

Rachel put her arms around Chloe and stated she was very happy to hear that the two childhood friends had restored their mutual trust during the investigation. Warren added he didn't mind Rachel's remarks, after all Chloe had teased him about Max and her kissing, and girl-on-girl action.

* * *

Chloe: _"Max woke me up the next morning and said she was going to call Warren and have him come over to my house. First, we had to wait for David and mom to leave so we would have the house to ourselves. Once Warren arrived, Max set out our location theory once again. She checked online if it was possible to find the data we needed on some government website or something."_

Max: "The records we found on the Land Register were incomplete, but there were still plenty of locations listed that were owned by Nathan's father. We started working on the numbers we found in Nathan's diaries and cross check if any of those could potentially match coordinates of Prescott owned land.

After a few hours we came to the conclusion that we were completely stuck, again. We couldn't make any sense out of the numbers, or match them with any of the locations owned by the Prescotts. We theorized that we might be looking at the data in the wrong way. Maybe there weren't any coordinates at all. As an alternative, I suggested that we try and check the locations via satellite on the Vista Maps website, we had to begin somewhere.

One by one we brought the Prescott owned locations up on screen. Some locations were much better visible than others, and some weren't visible at all. There were a few locations that seemed to have potential. We knew that the location we were looking for needed to be remote, yet still accessible by car.

Warren volunteered to go and track down Nathan and follow him around. I first tried to dissuade him as it seemed dangerous to me. Then I realized that it would be equally dangerous for me and Chloe to visit locations on Prescott owned land. At about four o'clock in the afternoon all of us went to carry out our assignments."

Chloe: _"The first location we visited was an old abandoned factory on the southern edge of Arcadia Bay. Max and I got out of my truck and broke into the building. We didn't find any signs of recent activity or anything at all. We knew we had to move on to the next site._

_We visited many locations, but every time we either found nothing or couldn't get near enough. Warren called Max and told us he couldn't find Nathan Prescott anywhere. No one had seen him that day at Blackwell, except for Victoria. She had seen him leave a while earlier in an agitated state. Max and I hoped Warren could track Nathan down soon. I was getting frustrated as we seemed so close but just couldn't complete the final step._

_It was getting dark and Max and I looked over the maps we brought with us. We noticed one location that was close to the exit to the forest. Max reminded me that we had run out of fuel near that exit the day before. We looked at each other, and without speaking we knew we had to check that location out. According to the records it wasn't much of a building. An old shed located in the middle of nowhere, in a part of the forest where no one ever came as it was fenced off."_

* * *

Max: "Chloe wasn't paying much attention to the road and suddenly we hit a tree. Chloe's truck immediately died on us and we had to get out and walk the remaining mile or so. All the while Chloe was cursing our luck and urging me to hurry up. Chloe showed me she was still carrying the gun she'd stolen from David, the one she had told me about earlier. I was not happy about it, but I figured it couldn't do much harm to have a little protection in case we ran into bad news, such as Nathan Prescott.

Once we reached the perimeter fence we scouted for opportunities to sneak past it. Chloe thought she saw fresh tire tracks but I wasn't sure. Maybe she was imagining it. I felt scared, much more so than when we broke into Blackwell. At least Blackwell was familiar terrain.

When it is so dark as it was that night, you start imagining things. Chloe and I held hands, and we found a weak spot in the fence. With the help of some branches we managed to create a gap big enough for us to fit through. We could have saved ourselves the effort had we walked on another hundred yards. However, we couldn't see much so we did what we did."

Chloe: _"We reached the shed after a short while. Max asked me if I was scared too and I said yes. There was a lock on the shed, and we couldn't get in. Going around the shed we couldn't find any hint of another entrance. We were both sure that this might well be the location we were looking for. We tried every angle possible to see if we could get a view inside the shed. Unfortunately, even with the help of our flashlight we couldn't see anything._

_We decided to call Warren again, and he said that he had not succeeded in his mission to find Nathan. He asked if he should join us and we told him where our truck was and that he should come quickly and help us to check the surroundings further._

_Then, Max and I both froze where we stood. We both heard a strange creaking noise. After the initial fright wore off, we ran for the nearest trees and hid behind them. It seemed to take forever, but at least we had a good spot within visual range of the shed._

_A light suddenly switched on inside the shed. Max and I thought it must be Nathan Prescott. I wanted to run over immediately, but since the shed was still locked I knew that we had to wait. My hand was shaking uncontrollably and I dropped the gun. It took almost a minute to find it again, but all my composure was gone."_

Max: "Chloe's hands weren't the only ones trembling. We were both aware of what might be about to happen. The whole thing probably didn't take more than fifteen minutes, but it seemed more like fifteen hours. Chloe and I both hoped Warren would get there soon, as surely with three against one we stood a chance against Nathan. Neither Chloe, nor myself were prepared for what, or rather who we were about to see.

We could hear someone unlocking the shed's door. I couldn't breathe anymore. I looked at Chloe who seemed to be frozen in time. We both realized we had made a big mistake to come without any support. Then, after seemingly forever, the door started opening. A shadowy figure appeared. I was confused at first, but whoever it was, it certainly wasn't Nathan Prescott. The figure was carrying something. From where I stood it looked like a roll of carpet.

He put it down and it revealed its contents. There was a body. My mind was trying to process what was going on but before I realized who the body could be, Chloe let out a desperate shriek. Now the figure looked in our direction. That's when I saw who he was. To my utter shock it was Mark Jefferson. I think he started talking in our direction. Chloe dropped the gun again and was freaking out. I hadn't been able to get a good look at the body, but Chloe had a much better view than I did.

Mark Jefferson slowly started coming our way. He can't have been more than thirty yards away when all of a sudden a vehicle came crashing into the scene. At first I thought it was Warren, but it wasn't. It was David Madsen, Chloe's stepdad.

David jumped out of the car and started shouting at Mark Jefferson to give himself up. Mr. Jefferson fired his gun at David and seemed to hit him. David fired back and Mark Jefferson ran for the shed to try and find a less exposed position."

* * *

Chloe: _"I was focused only on one thing. Once I saw the partially exposed body I knew it was you, Rachel. I feared my worst nightmare had just come to pass and I freaked like never before. I don't remember much about the rest of the day."_

Max: "But I do. I heard a yell and a loud thud coming from the shed. After much confusion it was clear that David had managed to hit Mr. Jefferson in the shoulder. David's shot caused Mr. Jefferson to lose his footing and he hit his head against his own car. David rushed in to restrain him.

Another car came down the road, it was Warren. As I was looking in his direction, I suddenly heard something that sent chills down my spine. Chloe had run over to Rachel's body and was holding it in her arms. She just kept screaming and wailing. David, Warren and me were all too shell-shocked to intervene. Chloe was inconsolable as she feared you were dead, Rachel. You weren't moving at all.

Then David tried to pull her away as he wanted to check on Rachel, but Chloe wouldn't let him. All the time she kept on screaming. I tried to understand what she was saying but was able to identify only a few words. She kept repeating the same things. _"Why"_ , _"please don't die, Rachel"_ and _"who does a thing like this"_.

Warren and I both seemed to have decided to step in at the same time. With David's help we finally managed to pull Chloe away from Rachel's body, so David could have an opportunity to help her, if that was still possible.

Once again there was an eerie situation where something that maybe took a few minutes or less seemed to take many hours. I was holding Chloe, but she was still crying and unable to control herself. I felt so bad for her.

Then I suddenly heard David say _"she's alive"_. He was starting CPR on Rachel. David told us to call 911 immediately, which Warren did. I kept holding Chloe tight and tried to talk to her, but she wasn't responsive to anything I said. She kept saying how unfair it was, how everything good was always being taken away from her.

The last thing Chloe said before she fainted was how she didn't want to live without you, Rachel. Warren, David and I heard it very clearly. All three of us were horrified, especially David, I could see that in his eyes."

* * *

Max: "The ambulance arrived less than ten minutes later, and the paramedics took Rachel to the hospital. As they sped away, David walked over, picked Chloe up and carried her to his car, saying he was going to take her to the hospital as well. He told Warren and me to follow him. Meanwhile, the police had also arrived and they made another discovery. They had gone into the Dark Room itself. We did not hear about it until the next day, but they had found the unconscious body of Nathan Prescott, all drugged up.

We reached the hospital and I called Rachel's father, whose phone number Warren had found on a government website. Then I called Chloe's mother Joyce. Meanwhile, Rachel was rushed into the emergency room and Chloe had been put to rest on a hospital bed.

I decided to stay with Chloe as there wasn't much I could do. She was still unconscious. The doctor who came in claimed that Chloe had suffered sudden shock syndrome. She would be alright with a bit of rest. I asked the doctor about Rachel, but he couldn't say much.

One after another more people started trickling in. Rachel's father and his wife arrived minutes before Chloe's mother. David was there and had received treatment for his gunshot wound. Joyce stood at Chloe's bed and broke down completely. "My poor baby", she kept saying. David talked to her about what he had seen and heard, and he held her. I left the room as my presence felt inappropriate. But I was determined to stick around the hospital to make sure Chloe would not be alone at any moment."

Chloe: _"You're such a good friend, Max. I don't think I can ever repeat it enough, or thank you enough. I suppose it was better for me to be completely out of it, that night in the hospital. I'm sure I would have freaked out repeatedly and just been in everyone's way. I can't even begin to imagine what my mom felt at the moment when David explained the whole situation to her."_

* * *

**(Present time: 2019)**

The room was quiet for a minute or two. Max reached for Warren's hand. Rachel comforted Chloe, who needed a few moments to pick herself up.

 _"We are torturing ourselves, aren't we"_ , Chloe said. Rachel indicated that she thought Chloe was right. Rachel followed up by pointing out that she was now going to tell about her Dark Room imprisonment. Chloe suggested that they turn on more lights to contrast the things that had just been talked about, and what was about to be.

Max offered to get some drinks from the kitchen, and Chloe told her to get not just tea, but some stronger stuff as well. _"I don't want to get all shitfaced, but I figure we are all going to need a few drinks before we finish tonight. You know where we keep it, Max."_

"Any news", Rachel asked Warren. Warren checked his phone, and said there was no news apart from the weather alerts. The storm was still ongoing outside and the weather forecast said that the rain was expected to last at least through the coming night.

Chloe held Rachel's hand. Rachel pointed out that much like during her court testimony, she would only be able to talk about what she remembered, which was not everything. She followed up by saying that not remembering everything was part blessing, part curse.


	6. Fame

**Fame**

(Dark Room flashbacks: summer 2012-spring 2013, Mark Jefferson POV)

"Yes… yes. Perfect! *CLICK* We are off to a good start here. Our work yesterday convinced me, and so far, you have not disappointed me. I'm gonna take a few more shots here. *CLICK* *CLICK* The right angle… always take the shot. *CLICK* That's what I tell my students. They are none the wiser, they probably worship me. After all, I'm everyone's favorite photography teacher.

Welcome, miss Amber. I've heard so much about you. Nathan, who I am sure you recall because he brought you here, thinks very highly of you. Well, in a way that I personally find distasteful but you see, he and his family have what I need, money. Money that has funded this wonderful location. So I won't be refusing him… well not always. You do understand?

Diane Arbus, have you ever heard of her? She's not my role model or anything, or even a favorite, but she did have something about her photography that I admire. The feeling of hopelessness on the faces of her victims… I mean subjects of course. Sorry about that.

I'm also sorry about drugging you, but I'm afraid that is going to continue to be necessary. We are going to have all the time in the world to build that portfolio. I promised to make you famous, didn't I? And so I shall, I always keep my promises.

I do regret that my name cannot be associated with any of this. You see, fame is a word that has many meanings. I am famous for being someone I'm not. You will be famous, in a way, for being exactly who you are, as I will deconstruct you and get to your deepest hopes, dreams and fears, through my lens.

Let me give you another dose. There, that's better. For our theme today, I'm going to need you slightly unconscious. No vanity, no posing… just pure expression. *CLICK* Yes, marvelous. *CLICK* And a few more from this angle. *CLICK* *CLICK* Let me bring up the light. *CLICK* Beautiful. And… *CLICK* we are done. Let's put you back in the guest room. Don't mind the darkness. You'll get used to it."

* * *

"Pay attention, Nathan. Do you remember what I taught you about setting up your shots? We'll get there… someday… I suppose. You have such potential, but you need to be more focused. You get it? Focused? No laughing? Never mind. I always did hate jokes like that.

I'm sure you've heard the word selfie. I loathe that word. My students use it all the time. Selfie this, selfie that. Everyone is so selfie-absorbed. There is no appreciation anymore for finer details, for theming and for capturing true feeling on camera, the layers to a subject. Hope, dreams, despair and fear. And only the best can capture all of that from one and the same model. That's what we're doing here.

Now imagine this setting, Nathan. She is lying there, unconscious. What do you do? What theme would you apply to your art here today, right now. Rachel Amber, right there in front of you. You told me you dreamed of this and now she is here, within your grasp. All you need to do, is reach out, seize the moment and create art. She is your muse.

*CLICK* *CLICK*

No... no... no... you're doing it all wrong again. Do not confuse lust with artful expression. I suppose we'll have to start over because this photo-set is already ruined and you've barely even started. I promised my customers a fresh set no later than this evening, and we have a lot of work to do."

* * *

"Ah Nathan, there you are. Today is your first exam. Your assignment is this: you will create a set of photos with miss Amber, a set that is worthy to be published alongside my work. The theme is dreams. I will leave for the next few hours. My advice to you, focus on your work. Do not let your feelings distract you in any way. I'm going to see about those experimental drugs I ordered, and if all goes well today, you will have the best of it. Do you understand?"

 _"_ _Yes Mr. Jefferson. I won't let you down after everything you did for me."_

"I repeat, the theme is dreams. Your subject has dreams, I want to see them in her eyes. She has dreams of being famous, and she looks at you to help her with that. I've dosed her up, and you are not to administer any more drugs to her today. Alright, your time starts now, see you later."

 _"_ _I finally have you to myself, Rachel. Mr. Jefferson is persuasive, isn't he? You are so beautiful. I've followed you ever since I first saw you. I wish I could marry you but I think we've reached a point where that is not really going to happen, is it? Mr. Jefferson would not allow it anyway. I saw you in the Vortex Club so many times, and I have only ever wanted you. Victoria is nice to me, sure. But she sucks up to me because she knows my dad has money, that's the only reason. You are different._

_You were going around with that other girl, what was her name again? The blue haired one. I forgot. She was your lover, or so people say. But never mind her. As Mr. Jefferson said, you want to be famous, and only I can help you with that. And maybe later, we can have some intimacy. I've longed for that, I want to touch your skin._

_The first photo-sets Mr. Jefferson made of you were very well received online. Your dreams will come true. All you have to do today, is sit on that couch and just look towards me. Do as I say and I might take you away from here. I can do that, I own Mr. Jefferson. Now look at me, and dream of your freedom. The freedom you'll never have again. Sorry, I shouldn't lie to you."_

* * *

"Once more I do apologize, miss Amber. What Nathan did to you was not appropriate. At least he left you dressed this time, it could have been so much worse, I suppose, like last time. We're going to switch themes today. We have enough for hope and dreams. However, before we move on to despair I will introduce a fifth theme for your portfolio. I'm not sure what word to use for it, so I'll describe it for you instead.

You've been here for a few months now, I'm sure that most hope in you is already gone. You are aware that there is only one way this will end, right? Don't worry about it, I will be here capturing every moment of your journey. My clients will praise me to the high heavens. You are truly the finest model I have captured so far. Get it? Captured? Oh yes, I forgot, you're not fond of my jokes. I get carried away sometimes, because as you know, usually I don't care for jokes either.

So much better to have you conscious today. The effects of the drugs have worn off, more or less. Anger. Yes. That look in your face. We shall call this theme anger. It comes after hope and dreams, but before despair and fear. That look… keep that… *CLICK* yes… *CLICK* I love you Rachel, you are such a wonderful model, so easy to work with. This is how you express anger. *CLICK* It wouldn't have worked with you drugged.

What a shame that Nathan doesn't seem capable of learning from my example. The boy will never get it. But what he does get is that I'm much more of a father figure for him than his real father ever will be. I keep telling his real father what he wants to hear, that Nathan will be a famous photographer like me. But of course, that is a lie. *CLICK*

Nathan doesn't deserve to be my student, or even be at Blackwell. But he is easy to manipulate, and I keep giving him access to the best new drugs, and to you of course. *CLICK* You see, I lured him into this setting as much as you were lured into this Dark Room."

* * *

"Those pretentious snobs in New York would never understand. But out there, I have to act as if I'm one of them. Even in this godforsaken town, Arcadia Bay, I act out my part. I am sure you appreciate the art of acting. I heard you did well in some of Mr. Keaton's plays. Mr. Keaton is a really good teacher, he truly understands art as it is supposed to be. He's one of the few that does, even if he is too much of a romantic.

Here in this Dark Room, I can do what I really want to do. *CLICK* I create the most beautiful narratives through my lens. And what we are creating is truly exceptional. *CLICK* *CLICK* Yes, I do believe you are my best work so far. Those girls back in Seattle, that was just practice. You, miss Amber, are helping me perfect my art. *CLICK*

There is so little in the real world of what we are creating together. Your photo-sets are very popular. They call it the Darkweb, it is a good name for it. And it is a good way of describing the situation. You are caught in a web of darkness and it rules your world now. *CLICK*

That beautiful look of despair on your face. *CLICK* Knowing you will never see that girl again, what was her name? I keep forgetting, apologies once more. Nathan told me just yesterday. Ah yes, I do remember, Chloe Price. *CLICK* What a shame she got expelled from school. She changed her look from last year, did you know that? Did you ever see her with that hair color? You probably have. I think you agree that it suits her very well indeed. I'll get her picture for you. And maybe I'll send her a picture of you. *CLICK*

I still dream of it, you know. Reuniting you with her. It would complete everything I'm creating with you. The two of you here, under my control, would make this unique art experience even better. Two lovers despairing, and fear taking over. Am I being pretentious now? I'm sure you're right. *CLICK* *CLICK*

These latest photo-sets have a certain, one might almost say, orgasmic quality to them. But not in the way Nathan would mean, no that is not right at all. I can see it's time for another dose, let me try this new mixture, we'll see what happens.

How thoughtless of me, what do you prefer? Cable-ties or handcuffs? Oh, I just dosed you up. I will ask again later.

* * *

"What is going on with you, Nathan? You seem unable to focus, more so than usual. Did you run into her again? What was it this time? Are you deliberately trying to screw everything up? Do I have to deal with you? I love you, Nathan, like a father. But I give you everything and this is how you repay me?"

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Mr. Jefferson, but the Price girl infuriates me"._

"Then she also infuriates me, Nathan. But from now on, you will control yourself. I will give you a dose of this here to calm your nerves. Promise me you'll be a good boy from here on. Rachel here would surely be interested to hear you drugged her lover and took pictures off her in an empty bar, and later threatened her with a gun in the girls' bathroom.

And now this... your paranoid delusions about people following you will cause you to make mistakes. You will not screw this up for me, you hear? Rachel and I are just a few photo-sets away from completing our artistic journey. A journey I'm sad to say you were unable to join."

 _"_ _What are you gonna do, Mr. Jefferson?"_

"Once we are finished in here, I will do what I should have done a while ago. Take full control of the outside situation once more. I will take care of you, Nathan. Your pain must end, much like Rachel here. I think she doesn't have much left. She tried to starve herself again, but she should know better by now, we are fully equipped in here to deal with such emergencies. Inside here I am still in control.

Here's the list, Nathan. Go see Frank Bowers again and pay the man. How useful that pathetic washed up fool has turned out to be. All he cares about is money, and his dumb dog. One day I'm just going to go out there and shoot it, and maybe him too."

 _"_ _I'll be back soon, Mr. Jefferson. I won't screw up this time"._

"Rachel, have you been listening? The drugs have worn off again have they? It doesn't matter. You don't look so well. I'll give you some medicine, really good stuff, I promise. And I think I have decided on my next muse. There's this new girl at Blackwell, real shy type. Innocent, in a way you never were. No, it's not Victoria. She doesn't have what it takes. The only flaw this girl has, is that she is obsessed with selfies, though I must admit that I am in love with that old camera of hers.

And she is good, really good. She actually talked that Kate Marsh girl out of suicide. She is a real everyday hero. I can't wait to focus on her innocence, and I will teach her not to be so nosey. Anyway, I suspect they are looking for you. And poor Kate will now have to live with the shame, it really would have been better for her to take that jump."

* * *

"Look me in the eyes, miss Amber. You know what is going to happen, right? I can't delay it much longer, I'm afraid. Nathan is losing control out there and I have to step in now. He's a liability, a _"punk ass"_ , that's the phrase you young people use these days, right?

You and I will create two last sets. The final pieces in my magnum opus. Do they also call it that for photography? It matters not. It has been quite the journey. Our five themes are nearly complete. From hope, dreams, anger and despair to fear. And once more you have the right look in your face. Shall we start, my dear? *CLICK*

Fear, you know what is coming, you know you cannot stop it. *CLICK* I've told you what happened to those girls in Seattle. The fear comes in because you still don't know how it will end for you. *CLICK* I've broken you, fear is all you have left. *CLICK* *CLICK* Maybe a bit of resignation, but lots of fear. You probably don't even need the handcuffs anymore. *CLICK*

Now that we are coming full circle, I suppose we can talk about Diane Arbus some more. What she should have done, instead of that whole view of humanity as tortured, is to capture people at the height of their beauty. *CLICK* I have done this with you. Thank you for helping me be my real self. Not the act I play out there, but the real me. *CLICK*

And thank you also for being the real you. As I promised, you are truly famous now. Unfortunately, only with my clients, but such is life. I hope you do appreciate this gift I've given you. *CLICK* *CLICK*

Just one moment, what's that? Sorry about the interruption miss Amber, I think Nathan has just arrived, I'll be right back.

Nathan, what are you doing here? What do you mean someone is following you around? More paranoia, I'm sure. Now just sit down and relax, I'll give you a dose."

* * *

"We have no time to lose. Give her a dose, Nathan. Can you do that? I taught you how, didn't I? And despite my reservations, I let you do things to her. I don't even want to know.

I'm going to get the other camera. I'll be taking the pictures, because we can't count on you to perform under pressure. Let me set it up right here. What's going on there, Nathan? What are you doing?

NATHAN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT DOSAGE! Let me check her. Pulse, heartbeat. Are you still there, miss Amber? Damn, she is not moving. Nathan, you just gave her an overdose, you unimaginable idiot. I can't believe it. You have ruined everything. You just destroyed my life's work! I spend nine months in here perfecting my art, with the perfect model, I'm nearly there, just a few pictures away and then you… you… YOU… I'll deal with you now. Might as well. Let me take this and give you a special dose."

_"Mr. Jefferson, I don't want to… let go of me… ouch, what is that? What are you doing to me?"_

"It is your end, Nathan. You will fall asleep and then I will have the time I need to dispose of the both of you. I'll put you two together, of course, I do have a little bit of an old romantic in me, after all. Can you appreciate that? There is something poetic about it, you coming to the end at the same time as the girl you lusted after. You see where lust gets you, Nathan? No self-control at all. But at least you were easy to manipulate.

You never did understand art. Nor will you ever. I used you… used you to get access to your father's fortune, and to get all this equipment that I am going to take with me. I lied to him about your progress, you have made none at all. You are unworthy of being even in the shadow of my greatness. I should have dealt with you much earlier. Compassion is a weakness.

Well, I suppose you can't hear me anymore, nor can miss Amber here. Time to clean up. I have an idea, I'll use those rolls of carpet stored over here. I'm sorry about this, miss Amber, it's a crude solution, but it makes it easier to carry you out of here.

I'm just talking to myself now, am I? Maybe I am getting paranoid too? I'll take the car outside, load the two of you in, and dispose of you. And then it will be time to disappear, lay low for a while. See if they ever figure out it was me. Probably not, the police around here are contemptuous, much like those halfwits that prance around Blackwell pretending to be the security detail.

Where is my key? Ah, other pocket. Alright… yes… the shed's door is open. Fresh air. Now let me lay you down here, miss Amber. I'll get the car."

**_"_ _RACHEL! NOOOOOOOO!"_ **

"What the hell? Who is that, what's going on here? Come out, come out, whoever you are. I'll find you."

_***CRASH*** _

**_"_ _Put your hands up, NOW!"_ **

* * *

**(Present time: 2019)**

Max was the first to say something. "I remember your testimony very well, I kept thinking how brave you were, and what you went through, Rachel. Even after all you've told us here today, I don't think any of us three will ever be able to fully grasp just how horrendous it must have been.

All the legal experts agreed that your testimony not only put Jefferson on death row, but also fatally damaged the case Nathan's lawyer was trying to build, presenting him as a victim rather than an accomplice. Every one of those questions Nathan's lawyer asked you, all designed to trick you into going along with that scheme. But they lost, and you won."

Chloe was holding Rachel tight. Max and Warren could see she was whispering things in Rachel's ear. "No angel, I've cried enough", Rachel said. "I just want you to be with me tonight, like always."

Max overheard Warren expressing his admiration for Rachel. When Max asked him if he felt alright, Warren answered that he was very impressed with Rachel's strength, much like Max had expressed to Rachel just before.

Chloe poured out some drinks, now that the worst was over. Max pointed out that the storm outside was still going strong, but the rain seemed to be lessening somewhat, or maybe it was all just another illusion.

Rachel said she was feeling quite relieved. "I am looking forward to having fun again. This collective therapy session of ours, these last two days, was a good thing. I admit it was difficult at times, but as Chloe and I have learned in the past years, talking can really help.

Maybe Chloe and I can tell you about the aftermath tomorrow, that will be easier, for sure. We have had our ups and downs but we have also had each other. I remember the day when I took Chloe on our first road trip, Chloe said she felt something more than a friendship. I made mistakes, mistakes for which I have had to pay, but I realize that Chloe's always been right about the two of us. The hard times are hopefully behind us now."


	7. Hero

**Hero**

(Flashback: late spring 2013)

It was just past midnight. Max was sitting on a bench in a busy corridor in the hospital, right outside Chloe's room. Max had briefly dozed off but she was woken up by Chloe's mother Joyce. Joyce had come to the hospital as soon as Max had called her with news of what had happened. Warren was asleep on another bench just a few yards away.

David, who had been treated for his wound, said that he was going to report to the police everything he had seen and found out, now that it was still fresh in his memory. He suggested Max and Warren also not wait too long to do so.

Max promised David that she and Warren would keep contact with him and were available for statements at any time. "Better go tomorrow morning", David said.

Joyce sat down next to Max. "Thank you for calling me, I was so worried when I got your call. And David just told me what has happened. I don't even know where to begin, how could I have been so blind to the pain my poor Chloe was in?"

Max tried to comfort Joyce by saying that she too had made mistakes. "I disappeared from her life just when she needed a friend the most, right after the death of your husband, her father."

"I did not handle the situation as I should have", Joyce answered. "I should have realized I was not just a widow, but also a mother. Maybe I brought David in too soon, and I should have realized what William had meant to Chloe. But David is a good man, a really good man, he is just not very good at showing his emotions. Until he told me what he had seen and heard, I had never seen him cry. Now I understand Chloe's feelings so much better. She really loves Rachel, doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does. Chloe has talked about her a lot ever since I came back into her life. I'm no expert at love matters or anything, but I just think that you can't fake feelings like that. To see my best friend in the state she was in yesterday, is something I hope I'll never have to see again."

"Max, I can't put into words just how much I am hoping that Rachel will be alright. And thank you so much again for being here for my Chloe. But I think you should go get some sleep, it's going to be hectic in the next few days."

Max agreed with Joyce, and promised she'd be back the next morning. After getting up from the bench, Max woke Warren up, and after finding no news about Rachel's condition they both went back to Blackwell to spend the night in their respective dorm rooms.

* * *

The next morning Max returned to the hospital. She immediately rushed to Chloe's bed to find her awake. A doctor left the room as soon as Max entered it. "I'm so glad to see you, Chloe, I was really worried about you. How are you feeling right now?"

_"Hey there Supermax. I'm so glad to see you. I'm feeling a little light headed, but I will be OK, I think. The doctors can't tell me anything about Rachel, do you know what is going on?"_

Max answered that she didn't know much about Rachel's situation either, but that Rachel was getting all the care she needed and all they could do was wait. Chloe agreed that they would need to be patient, there was nothing either of them could do anyway. But Chloe kept insisting that she would really like to see Rachel.

"Your mother and David were here yesterday", Max said. Chloe acknowledged it and said she and her mother had a lot to talk about. _"And I guess I owe David a whole bunch of apologies. I mean, he practically saved Rachel's life. He's a hero. I don't even know where to start."_

Max told Chloe what David had told Joyce. Chloe was very impressed but admitted that it was not going to be easy to admit how wrong she had been about David. _"I'm not very good at those kinds of situations, Max, but I'll figure it out somehow. I'll have to be strong for Rachel"_. Chloe then asked if Max had heard anything on the news.

"It's all over the local radio stations. Mark Jefferson has been arrested, and Nathan Prescott was moved to a prison hospital, kept under guard. Apparently, the police found him in a drugged up state, Mark Jefferson might have tried to kill him too, or so it seems. The police are all over that Dark Room of theirs, and there are a few cops here in the hospital for protection.

Which reminds me, I have to go to the police with Warren. I don't want to leave you now, Chloe. But Warren is coming, so we can give our statement together. The police will probably want to talk to you as well. Will you be alright on your own?"

Right at that moment Chloe's mother Joyce walked into the room. She was joined by Rachel's father James and his wife Rose. Max excused herself and left to make her witness statement, Chloe said she hoped Max would return soon. Max promised to be back as soon as she could.

* * *

"Chloe, we have come to tell you about Rachel and how she is doing", James Amber said. "She is still unconscious, but her situation has stabilized and the doctors are running various tests. They can't state anything definitive yet but it looks like she will pull through, and from what I understand it is also thanks to you."

 _"You shouldn't thank me"_ , Chloe answered. _"You should thank my stepfather, David. Without him, we would not have made it. He's the real hero"_. Joyce briefly wondered if she was in an alternate universe, but she managed to keep her composure and decided not to say anything.

"Right now, Rachel is getting the best care she could possibly have", James Amber continued. "It's not going to be easy for her once she wakes up. Certainly not considering that Rose and I have been lying to Rachel all her life, and I guess she ended up paying the price for our lies. I don't even know how we will ever be able to make up for that, even partially. I want you to know, Chloe, I really do love Rose, that part was not fake, I just hope we can convince Rachel of that. And nothing would please us more if you were there for Rachel once she can start her recovery."

Chloe told the Ambers as well as her mother that she would do anything to help Rachel. James Amber said that he and Rose would be able to fund whatever was needed to give Rachel the support she required. "It's the least we can do", he said. "Money can't buy forgiveness but we can help create the environment she needs for her recovery."

 _"I really do want to blame you"_ , Chloe stated. _"But I can't, not anymore. I could have prevented all of this too. Before Rachel disappeared, I had opportunities to just drive away with her, all the way to L.A. where she and I wanted to go. I am not blameless in this."_

Joyce interrupted and said that neither the Ambers, nor Chloe should blame themselves for what had happened. After all the real blame belonged with the two men who had carried out the kidnapping. She hoped that there would be no bitterness between the Ambers and Chloe. Chloe assured her mother and the Ambers she had no intention of ever bringing it up again.

 _"Rachel is all that's important now"_ , Chloe said. _"I would really like to see her, it's been so long"_. The Ambers expressed their gratitude once more and suggested Chloe join them to check up on Rachel later in the afternoon. Rachel was undergoing treatment and they would all have to wait.

In the meantime, James Amber would make some calls to find a lawyer who could represent them, control the proceedings and keep the press at bay. "There will be a lot of interest in this case, and I want to ensure that we are in a position that we can control some of what is going to happen. That lawyer will also be able to help Rachel with her statements and testimony, which she will certainly be called upon for. Please let me provide this for Rachel, Chloe."

Chloe expressed that she had no objections, and approved of anything that was good for Rachel.

* * *

A few hours passed and Chloe saw Max reappear. _"How was it at the police station, Max?"_

"Warren and I were interviewed together. They are writing a report now and we are going back tomorrow to check if all the details are correct. It was intense but I'm glad we did it."

 _"I'm freaking out here, Max, again"_ , Chloe said. _"We're going to check on Rachel in an hour or so, and I would appreciate it if you joined me. I can't wait to see her, Max. Am I behaving selfishly?"_

Max assured her best friend that she was not, and suggested they get something to eat in the canteen. Chloe joined Max but was unable to eat much. They went back to the waiting room to find the Ambers there too.

One of the doctors approached the Ambers and they signaled for Chloe to come with them. Max followed as Chloe had asked.

The doctor started explaining the situation. "We have run all the tests, some of them to double-check. We think that our initial diagnosis is sound. There seems to be no brain trauma of any kind, nor physical wounds that won't heal with time. But considering her ordeal, and the muscle atrophy, she's going to need some intense physical therapy to help her walk again and light therapy to get her eyes used to daylight again. We will also prescribe a high nutrition diet."

After some back and forth questions and answers, the doctor said they could go in and see Rachel. The Ambers went into Rachel's room, followed by Chloe and Max. Max instinctively held Chloe's hand, to assure her she didn't have to deal with any of it alone.

 _"It's so strange seeing her after all this time"_ , Chloe said. _"I'm really trying very hard not to break down again. I hope the doctors are right she might wake up soon."_

After a while James Amber suggested to Rose and Max that they leave Chloe alone with Rachel for a moment. Chloe sat down on a chair next to Rachel's bed and caressed her hand. _"I'm here for you, Rachel. Please come back to me. It's driving me crazy to not be able to just talk with you. And look at me here feeling sorry for myself, when you had it so much worse. I want you to know that I'll be there for you if you still want me to be."_

Chloe saw that Rachel couldn't hear her. She sobbed as quietly as she could, whilst touching Rachel's face. _"I need to be strong for you, but it's so hard. I'm so messed up right now. I'll wait here as long as I have to, I promise. I'll never leave you because I love you."_

Chloe got up and headed for the door. Once she emerged from Rachel's room, Max could see in her eyes that she had been crying. Max decided not to mention it, instead she put her hand on Chloe's shoulder. "I'm here for you Chloe, you are my best friend and always will be. I'm here for you whenever you need me."

Chloe told Max she really appreciated it. After Chloe expressed her wish to stay with Rachel, the Ambers arranged for Chloe to be able to have the other bed in Rachel's room. James Amber told Chloe that while the doctors had said it was an unusual request, they had agreed to allow it considering the circumstances. Max promised to go to Chloe's house to pick up a few things for her.

Around eleven o'clock in the evening Chloe briefly left Rachel's room to get herself something to drink. Just a few minutes later she returned, and she saw that someone was in the room with Rachel. Chloe walked towards the shadowy figure but before she could say anything the figure addressed her.

* * *

"I thought I might find you here", Frank Bowers said to Chloe. "Look, I'm not going to stay long, and I would appreciate it if you didn't call the cops on me or anything. It was hard enough to get in here unnoticed with so much police about the place. I'm a person of interest to them, and they visited me earlier today.

I suspected they were coming, I heard about the events on my police scanner and managed to clean the merchandise out before they arrived. They didn't find anything in my RV but my personal stash, which I convinced them to let me keep. I had to make a statement of course, and have to remain in contact with the police, whether I like it or not. I swear to you, Chloe, if I had known what those two bastards were doing, I would have killed them on the spot."

Chloe didn't respond but in her mind she knew Frank absolutely would have done just that.

Frank pensively looked towards Rachel who was still unconscious. "I want you to know this, Chloe, and as I said before, there was nothing serious between her and me. She hung out around my RV, that's true. She let me make some pictures of her, but in the end, she just needed someone to fix her up. Nothing inappropriate happened. I may be a lowlife drug dealer but I am not a fool. I saw how Rachel's eyes lit up whenever she talked about you. I admit I was jealous of you."

Chloe asked if Frank remembered when he had last seen her. "It was not long before she disappeared, Chloe", Frank answered. "She said she had met someone who was going to make her famous, and then she would come back for you and take you with her. Did you get the letter she left for you?"

Chloe was surprised that Frank knew about the letter, but didn't push the issue further. Frank then stated that it was time for him to go. "I'm leaving Arcadia Bay forever, as soon as the police will let me. I am thinking of heading to New Mexico or Arizona, see what the future holds there for me, explore new markets maybe. You will probably never see me again."

 _"I still owe you money"_ , Chloe said.

Frank was quiet for a few moments. "No, you don't. Not anymore. I burned that book this morning. I want no argument from you. All I want in exchange, Chloe Price, is for you to promise me three things. First, never tell her I was here. Then, you and her stay away from people like me in the future, we're bad news. And finally, this is the most important part, take good care of her."

After looking at Rachel for a few moments, Chloe turned towards Frank in order to thank him, but to her surprise saw that he was gone. Chloe ran into the corridor and could see an elevator closing about twenty yards away. Frank was gone. In a way, Frank's visit seemed appropriate to Chloe.

Chloe looked at the TV screen that was still on in the waiting room. The sound was muted but the headlines mentioned a storm that had struck the coast a few miles north of Arcadia Bay. The news ticker also mentioned the local teacher that had been arrested, and that one of his victims had been found alive. _"That's Rachel"_ , Chloe thought to herself. _"I should go back to her now"_.

Chloe gave the news ticker one last look and saw that reports were crediting a local man with solving the case. _"David's my hero"_ , Chloe smiled. _"It's going to take some getting used to. All of this could be a new beginning for me, and hopefully for Rachel too."_

Not long after that moment, Chloe was fast asleep in the bed next to Rachel's bed.

* * *

**(Present time: 2019)**

"Looks like the weather's cleared up", Max said to Warren. "The storm disappeared just like that, all of a sudden, who can explain it?"

Max knew that she and Warren were originally only scheduled to stay with Chloe and Rachel for two days and it had already been at least a full day more.

"I don't want to leave, but I have an important meeting tomorrow and need to make some preparations", Warren said.

 _"Thank you for coming, Warren"_ , Chloe said. Warren said he still owed Chloe thanks for helping him with Max.

 _"Just forget about it"_ , Chloe replied. _"The fact that you were here with us is already enough for me. It's really helped to have all of us here. And you'll always be awesome for kicking Nathan's ass. And even more so for being a good man to Max."_

Warren blushed and Max kissed him goodbye. Chloe playfully added that Warren better not ever make her sorry to set him up with Max, and grinned when she put up her fists. The four of them laughed about the whole scene.

Rachel shook Warren's hand and hoped his new business venture would be successful. "I'm sure you'll be back here soon telling us all about it. And congratulations on the two of you expecting a baby. Chloe and I will ask Max all about it, I promise you. And maybe one day you two can let us babysit?"

As Warren left, the three young women went back to the living room. "I think we should continue", Max said. "I can stay for a few more days, my next exhibition isn't until next week anyway."

 _"That's hella cool, Max"_ , Chloe told her childhood friend. _"But once we're done we're going to hang out at the Santa Monica pier, and we'll talk about your pregnancy. We do need to get out of this house every now and then"_.

Max said she was looking forward to it. "I so recall your wedding near that location. You looked so adorable in that dress, Chloe, and Rachel rocked that suit".

"Your costume wasn't bad either, Max", Rachel replied. "How you managed to be our official photographer and Chloe's witness at the same time still amazes me. You must have some real superpower, Max".

 _"Oh, you don't want to know"_ , Chloe laughed.

* * *

**(Flashback: late spring 2013, continued)**

Chloe woke up past seven o'clock in the morning. She instinctively wanted to pull the drapes back before she realized that the doctors had told her not to. She walked over to Rachel and sighed when Rachel still appeared unconscious. Chloe turned to look for her toothbrush and prepared to go to the bathroom. Then, just as she walked past Rachel's bed she suddenly noticed something.

Rachel had her eyes open. Chloe hit her head against the door when she saw it. She winced from the pain and looked at Rachel. Then she heard a voice she had missed for so long. "That's going to leave a nasty bump, Chloe".

Chloe dropped everything in her hands and rushed over to Rachel's bed. She thought of a thousand things she wanted to say, but all she managed to do was flash an awkward smile. Rachel's voice was soft but it enchanted Chloe on the spot. "I am so happy to see you, Chloe. I'm glad you're the first person I see, I missed you so much."

Chloe spoke her first words to Rachel in nine months. _"I love you, Rachel Amber."_


	8. Home

**Home**

(Flashback: late spring 2013, continued)

Chloe's thoughts were all over the place. The thousand things she had in her head all came out at the same time. _"You're safe here, Rachel... there is police guarding the hospital… they can't hurt you anymore. I just want… I thought I'd never see you again… and then Max came back… Frank Bowers… Blackwell… David… we found the shed... they're in custody."_

Rachel smiled at the sight and sound of Chloe rambling on. Finally, she interrupted Chloe. "We have so much to talk about. And we will talk about all of it. I want to know everything, including hearing about your friend Max. You were best friends for a long time, weren't you? That's what I remember you told me. Are you going to introduce me?"

After about ten minutes of little nothings, Chloe suggested that she should get the doctors. _"I don't want to leave you alone even for a minute, Rachel. But I guess the doctors should know so they can have a look at you. And I should call your dad. I'll be back really soon, I promise."_

Chloe ran over to the doctors, who rushed over to Rachel's room as soon as they heard the news. Chloe made a few phone calls and frantically texted Max about Rachel. Max replied to Chloe's messages, "wowser, I'm coming over".

Chloe then tried to return to Rachel's room but the nurse at the door wouldn't let her in. Chloe got agitated and demanded to know why they were not allowing her in.

"We have to run more tests now that she is awake. We really don't mean to keep you away from her", the nurse replied.

Chloe didn't like being frozen out yet again, but knew she had to let it slide. Instead, she decided to wait for Max and Rachel's father.

* * *

Max arrived not much later and immediately asked Chloe how she was handling the latest developments.

_"I'm tripping balls here, Max. They say she will be OK. Please stop me if I try something crazy. You know, she recognized me, she remembers me."_

"I'm so happy for you, Chloe. But what happened to you? That looks like a nasty bump on your forehead, Chloe. You fell out of bed or something?"

Chloe told Max about how she had smashed her head against the door upon seeing Rachel awake. Max could not quite suppress her laughter, which annoyed Chloe but not too much.

 _"The worst thing is the wait"_ , Chloe said. _"I just want her to get better. I don't know if she still wants to go away with me, I'd take her anywhere. I so want that future Rachel and I talked about three years ago. I guess I'm not really sure what's gonna happen. And we don't really have money anyway."_

Max listened to Chloe and just let her vent her frustrations and express her feelings. It was obvious Chloe needed someone to listen to her right now and Max was going to do just that, and give encouragement where needed.

_"I just can't stop being selfish, can I Max? We didn't even talk about you and your future yet. I mean, surely that photography course is going to be delayed or cancelled now?"_

"I guess so, Chloe. I have no idea yet what I'm going to be doing in the future, but I've already started looking at alternatives. Maybe Seattle again, or San Francisco, maybe even Los Angeles. Mrs. Grant has asked me and Mr. Jefferson's other students to come to Blackwell tomorrow to discuss the future. Change is coming to Blackwell, there are rumors all over. Some students saw principal Wells leaving after a meeting with some important looking people."

_"Right now, I'd ask you to come with Rachel and me to Los Angeles, Max. I mean, it would be awesomesauce to be able to hang out with both of you. I guess time will tell if that's gonna happen. But you got your own stuff, your school and career to worry about."_

"Chloe, I can't tell you how much I'd want to go to L.A. with Rachel and you. I want to see you happy, Chloe. Maybe we can even go on adventures if we ever get there? Los Angeles has some nice art galleries and places for exhibitions where maybe I'll be publishing my work one day. And I've heard some good things about the bookstores too."

 _"You're such a nerd"_ , Chloe grinned. _"And I wouldn't want it any other way. I admit I had some feelings for you in the past, but different from what I feel with Rachel."_

"I so understand and I guess I'm flattered", Max laughed. "I'm glad we are talking right now and having a nice time, just the two of us. We'll have to keep waiting for the doctors, and any news they might have about Rachel."

_"I'll never forget that kiss you gave me, Max. I mean you didn't even hesitate, it was so unlike you. I really needed it at the time, and it made me realize just what a good friend you are and always will be. I guess we're both to blame for those five years. I was sitting around waiting for your messages, and they never came. I could have messaged you at any time, but like you I guess I just didn't know what to say anymore."_

"And that will never happen again. Those five years did go by very fast, didn't they? I am so looking forward to serving as First Max to Captain Chloe again. What role will Rachel get? Admiral? Pirate queen? Because I think she's definitely going to go with you this time. I so want that for you. Your happiness is foremost in my thoughts."

_"Max, right now I'm thinking of how Rachel and I could sustain ourselves. I'll have to work, maybe as a waitress like mom, and I don't think it's a bad thing. I might have to work on my people skills a bit. Maybe one day I'll have my own tattoo shop or something. But it's going to be difficult. I don't have any kind of diploma and neither does Rachel, we screwed that up in the past few years."_

"Chloe, I will talk to Mrs. Grant about that. Maybe it's a good thing to involve Rachel's father? Let's see what can be done. Because I do believe that after all that happened they owe you, and they owe Rachel too. I will do anything to help you both. I'll guilt trip them if I have to. I have enough time anyway, considering school's out for the time being. And if you ever become a waitress, I'm going to come over and check it out."

_"You would, wouldn't you? We'll see. And Max, I was thinking, if you see Kate, could you ask her to stop by? I think it would help her and Rachel if they could talk about what happened to both of them? You helped save them both, Supermax."_

"I don't see myself as a hero, Chloe. I am just trying to do what's right, even if it doesn't work out sometimes. All those weird moments in the recent past, these dreams I've been having. I can't even count the number of times in the last few weeks that I felt like some scenes just repeated themselves over and over again. And that storm that hit the coast yesterday, it was in my dreams too."

_"I guess we'll never know what all of it really meant, Spidermax. And thanks for talking with me here, I really needed that. Let's go see if anyone has news on Rachel."_

* * *

Several hours later, late in the afternoon, Chloe and Max talked with the Ambers about Rachel and her condition. The doctors were very busy with more tests and scans. Snippets of positive feedback filtered back to the waiting room, filling Chloe with hope. Then one of the doctors showed up, and asked them all to join him in Rachel's room. Chloe asked if Max could come with her and the Ambers said they would be very happy if Max would be there too.

In the meantime, Chloe's mother Joyce had also arrived, after finishing her shift at the diner. Chloe couldn't help but feel that a big decision was about to be made.

The doctor detailed the results of all the latest tests and scans. "Everything we said before has been confirmed. We are all of the belief that given enough time, miss Amber will make a full recovery. Now as discussed before, there is need for both physical therapy and light therapy. Miss Amber will be put on a highly nutritious diet, and we recommend it to be followed like it's the gospel. Her body has had to deal with significant doses of drugs. It will take some time before all the effects wear off. But there is no doubt she will need to keep clean from now on."

The doctor then explained they would keep Rachel in the hospital for at least another week, depending on further progress. But if Rachel recovered as expected, there would be no objection against her going home after that week.

Rachel, her parents, Chloe, Max and Joyce looked at each other. James Amber broke the silence. "What is most important now, is what's good for Rachel. The thing is, although our house would be very suitable for her to work on her recovery, it might not be the best place psychologically speaking. I think it would be best to let Rachel decide where she thinks she would prefer to start working on her recovery."

"I thank you all for being so concerned about me", Rachel began. "I suppose it shouldn't be an easy decision. But like dad says, I don't think I could handle being at our home right now, maybe that will change at some point in the future. Now that I think about it, if it is even remotely possible, I'd like to go with Chloe to her house. That is, Chloe, if you have room for me and you still want me to be with you."

Tears were welling up in Chloe's eyes. Rachel still wanted to be with her, she could hardly believe it. _"There's nothing I want more, Rach. Nothing would make me happier to be able to help you recover. I don't know if we can do it, mom?"_

"Oh my…", Joyce sighed. "I'll have to call David because we'll have to make some adjustments. Chloe, I think your room can fit both of you. Two girls in the house is going to take some getting used to. Especially in this situation. But with hard work, I believe we can do it."

_"I promise I'll do anything to help, mom. I have all the time in the world right now. Maybe you can even teach me how to cook properly?"_

"There will be a time for that", Joyce replied. "I just… I can't express just how happy I am right now. It seems like only yesterday I'd lost you, Chloe. I didn't know how to handle the situation with you and now all of a sudden it turns into this? Of course we will let Rachel stay with us, if that's what you both want."

Rachel and Chloe both confirmed the decision. James Amber was visibly moved and said he happily supported the decision, Rose said she too would gladly help out. The Ambers promised to contribute financially, and that they were available at any time, if needed.

James Amber suggested to Rose that they should start packing some of Rachel's belongings and bring them over to the Price residence. He then confirmed he had managed to hire a lawyer to help prepare Rachel for the statements she would need to make to the police.

Rachel pointed out she was feeling tired. Everyone said their goodbyes and only Chloe and Max stayed behind. "I can't stay long either, Chloe", Max said.

 _"You're not going anywhere until I introduce you to Rachel"_ , Chloe replied.

_"Rachel, this is my childhood friend Max Caulfield. She saved my life these last few weeks. She inspired hope in me and helped us to find you. You're one of my heroes, Batmax."_

"I'm so glad to have been able to help you, Chloe. I was really worried about you, and seeing you two here together warms my heart like nothing else has ever done. I can almost feel your happiness. And Rachel, if you are half as awesome as Chloe says you are, I'm sure things will be alright, no matter how difficult it might get in the next few months."

"Max Caulfield, I'm really happy to finally meet you. You are a true friend of Chloe, and that means you are a true friend of mine. I'm convinced we will see each other often these coming times."

"Chloe, Rachel, I gotta go now. I'd love to talk all night but I have to speak with your father, Rachel. It's about something I told Chloe about."

* * *

After Max left, Chloe and Rachel were alone again. They talked some more about the developing situation.

"Chloe, I really like Max and I can see why you and her are best friends. I want to be her friend too. I'm still trying to get used to the idea that you and me will be back together. I hope you're not angry with me for the way I handled the situation last year. I can't believe I bought all those lies. I paid for the mistake of not telling you what I was going through."

_"No, don't blame yourself, Rachel, it's not your fault. There is nothing to forgive. Right now, we need to focus on the present. There will be a lot of time to talk about everything that happened. I mean, my stepdad texted me that tomorrow I have to go to the police to give my statement. And I'm sure they will want to hear yours too, very soon."_

"My dad will bring his lawyer over tomorrow, and I'll have to go over everything with him to prepare. It will be difficult, but knowing you are here for me makes it easier. I'll have to stay in the hospital for another week, but when they say I can go I will come to your place. We can start over again. I can't wait for that to happen."

_"It just feels so unreal, Rachel. Ever since we found you, I've been scared to fall asleep. I don't want to wake up to find you gone again. I guess it will take a while to wrap my mind around all of this."_

"My angel Chloe, the thing I missed the most about you is how awkward you always behave around me. The reason I fell in love with you is because with you, I can be myself. Much of my life has been an act, but you changed everything."

_"We're kind of like fire and ice, aren't we Rachel? I mean the two of us shouldn't be compatible, right? So why does this feel so good? I'm always looking up to you as if you're royalty or something, I can't help it. You seemed so perfect from a distance, and I was such a loser."_

"Don't demean yourself, Chloe. I admired you too, do you know how long I spent looking for a way to introduce myself into your life? Your spirit and your attitude were an inspiration to me. And your awkwardness has always endeared you to me. The others were all so fake, and I acted fake too. But beneath that perfect façade you think you saw, was someone who was desperately trying to break out."

_"Probably we can't spend much time together in the next week, Rachel. Apart from the statement I'll have to make to the police, I have to prepare my room. It's a mess right now and it will take time to clean it up. Now it all seems to be happening so fast, and the moment is so near, and yet waiting another week will seem like an eternity. I'll visit here as often as I can."_

"An eternity with you is going to be worth it, Chloe Price. This time we're really gonna do it, I promise. If you still want it."

_"I want it more than anything else. Once you get better, we're out of here. I feel like crying right now, but I am so happy."_

"Chloe, there is nothing wrong with that. We'll probably do a lot of crying in the next few months. But we should laugh too. And we should live. Do things, hang out with Max."

_"That reminds me, Rachel. There's this other girl you should meet, Kate Marsh, she's a good friend of Max. Max saved her too. She also had weird pictures made off her by those assholes, against her will. And there's a video too. Like you she was drugged and doesn't remember much of it. It affected her badly, and Max talked her out of suicide. Sorry, I didn't want to darken the mood."_

"It's not a problem Chloe. And I'll gladly meet Kate. We can support each other. Oh, and speaking of fire and ice, which you mentioned earlier, please don't spoil season three of Game of Thrones for me, I haven't seen any of it yet because of what happened."

"I'd stay away from fan sites if I were you", Chloe smirked. "There's this huge thing near the end of the season, I won't reveal what it is but you'll be shocked."

"Chloe. All I had for nine months was my imagination. There was no reality but the one that was forced on me. Right now, I think we could both use a little confirmation that this is for real. Come here, my loyal spirit."

Rachel and Chloe kissed each other for the first time in nearly a year. This surely was the start of a new era.

* * *

**(Present time: 2019)**

_"Are you alright over there on that chair, Mad Max? You can come sit in between me and Rachel if you want. We have more than enough room. And we swear we won't try anything. Right now, we want to hear about your pregnancy."_

"I'll come over if you want, Chloe."

Max sat herself between Chloe and Rachel. "This is actually kind of comfortable. The two of you just ooze such warmth. I almost wish we could do this every day."

"So Max, when did you find out? Was it planned? Chloe and I think it's awesome."

_"Max, last week when I was sick in bed, Rachel joked about morning sickness and suggested I call you for tips."_

"Seriously, Chloe? That's funny, I wish I'd been there to see your face. And yes, Warren and I actually did plan it. It just seemed like the right moment, and it still does. Speaking of babies, did you two ever think about it?"

_"A baby? Us, Max? Are you picturing me as a mom right now? Stop that. Don't laugh. I'm sure that any child of mine would give me the same shit I gave my mom. Karma and stuff. I'm sure my mom would appreciate it, and David would think it's hilarious."_

"I think Joyce would love to be a grandmother, Chloe. But I don't mean to mess in your affairs, you and Rachel have been through so much. I can only say that the idea of becoming a mother is something I am looking forward to. It's not going to be easy, but I think it will be so rewarding."

"There's another complication, Max. If Chloe and I were ever to make such a decision, she would probably have to be the one. The doctors told me a few years ago that they weren't sure I would ever be able to have a baby. Maybe we'll never find out, Chloe and I certainly aren't ready now."

_"These things take time, Max, many years in our case. But I am so happy for you. Me and Rachel hope that your little pirate will have many awesome friends, and will go on tremendous adventures like you and I did. Those were some really good times we had together. And we'll go to Santa Monica soon, the three of us. It will be hella cool to hang out together. Rachel and I have many happy memories there."_


	9. Beginning

**Beginning**

(Flashback: late spring 2013, continued)

The days after their first kiss in nearly a year were very busy for both Rachel and Chloe. Rachel, her father and their lawyer started the preparation for Rachel's statement to the police. They also started working on the testimony Rachel would have to give during the coming trial against Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott. Rachel's stepmom Rose packed Rachel's belongings and started bringing them over to the Price residence.

Chloe was cleaning up her room and was making space for Rachel's things. David was working to make the house more suitable for the physical therapy Rachel would need. Joyce found Chloe's old night lights, which Chloe had needed when she was younger. The doctors had recommended them to ensure that the room Rachel slept in would never be completely dark.

After Chloe finished cleaning up, David brought her to the police station. Chloe spent several hours making her statement about everything that had happened. All the while Chloe never stopped thinking about Rachel, and how nervous she was now that the moment was so close that Rachel would come over to the Price residence. Rachel would spend a few more days in the hospital and Chloe visited her many times.

* * *

The evening before Rachel was scheduled to come over at last, Chloe saw her mother sitting in the living room, whilst David was working in the garage. Joyce turned to her daughter and tried to start a conversation.

"I think your father would be very proud of you today, Chloe. You and Rachel are at the beginning of a very difficult journey. There's going to be a trial, there will be publicity, Rachel will be put under pressure by defense lawyers and who knows what other things are going to happen?"

_"Mom, I know you miss dad as much as I do. I'm sorry for treating you like I have. It was too difficult for me to accept that you were taking dad's pictures down. But it was not because you didn't love him anymore but because you couldn't bear not being with him and seeing what you were missing. Our feelings were the same but our needs were different."_

"Dearest Chloe, I am happy to see you like you are today. A young woman at the beginning of her adult life, on her way to a future of her own. I don't know where life will take you and Rachel, but I want you to know you can always rely on me for support. And David too. He really is a good man, he also wants what's best for you. He's worked so hard today. I'm glad to see you two are at peace with each other."

_"I will try my best, mom. My asshole days are over, I swear. There's so many people I still have to talk to. Rachel and I will be staying here for a while, I guess. She and I tried to run away three years ago, but you know now that didn't lead anywhere. We have no money, and my truck is still smashed up. I don't want to leave you mom, but Rachel and I can't stay in Arcadia Bay forever, too much has happened."_

"I am aware of that, Chloe. And as I said, what's most important is what will make you happy. I always knew that one day you would fly away from my nest, and I think that can be difficult for a mother to accept, but I have to accept it because it's best for you. And there are people who would be glad to help you, Chloe. Please don't ever feel abandoned again, you will always be welcome here. I think William would have approved of you and Rachel."

_"I don't know mom. It's still difficult for me to think about. Right now, I feel so weird, so many people are trying to help us. And then there's us here talking, after we argued so much over the last few years. I will admit it was mostly my fault and even though we can't undo it, I'm gonna try and make it right. There's so much you know how to do that I don't, and it's not just cooking either. I need to learn many things, still. I should have paid attention these last years."_

"Chloe, I was thinking, maybe you can help out at the diner in the coming weeks? I don't mean every day, but just a few hours every now and then. And Rachel can come too, anytime. We sure could use some help, and I really want to see you deal with people like Jim and Ralph, my favorite customers."

_"We'll see, mom. I'm sure there will be some time for that. I don't have to wear a skirt, do I?"_

"A skirt might actually look nice on you, Chloe. You haven't tried it for so long. Maybe I'll talk Rachel into suggesting it to you."

Chloe couldn't suppress a few giggles. _"You wouldn't mom… oh no… you totally would. You found my weak spot, it's not fair."_

"Just tell me one thing, Chloe. I'm not questioning your commitment to Rachel as I can see that look in your face. You really do love her, right?"

_"More than anything in the world. I mean, I love you too. And I love Max, but with Rachel it's different. I can't describe my feelings accurately. I suppose it's kind of a combination of joy, anticipation, being overwhelmed and anxiety. What I feel for her is so much more than a friendship."_

"Back in the hospital I saw that Rachel had the same look you have now, Chloe. I mean, you can never tell what is going to happen in the future, but I feel really good about the two of you. Mothers are supposed to have a sixth sense for that sort of thing. I think my grief prevented me from really understanding just how you felt all these years, and our situation prevented me from noticing how you felt about her. I failed to realize how badly you were affected when she went missing."

_"I didn't exactly share my feelings for Rachel with you, did I mom? In the end, Max ended up saving me. I was in deep shit and Max showed up at the right time. She is awesome like you are too. Now, everything seems to be falling into place for me, I'm so unused to it. I've sorted Rachel's things in my room, she has even more stuff than I knew."_

"It's getting real late now. I'm going to get David and I think you should go to bed too. There's another long day ahead of you with lots of excitement. Will you be alright by yourself this night?"

"I think so, mom. I can handle one more night alone. If I can't sleep I'll call Max, and try not to wake you, OK?"

Chloe rushed upstairs and was in her bed within minutes. Before falling asleep she realized her mom had switched the night lights on earlier. Chloe briefly felt like a kid again, and left them on as they were, to start getting used to them. They were there for the purpose of making sure Rachel would not have to spend a night in complete darkness again. And also, Rachel had not experienced the cycle of day and night for so long, she needed to get used to it again.

* * *

The next morning, Chloe woke up before anyone else. She had a shower, got dressed and rushed downstairs in anticipation. Not much later, Joyce was downstairs as well and the two started preparing breakfast together.

 _"_ _Mom, I asked Max to come too, she should be here soon. Will that be alright?"_

"You know Max is always welcome here, Chloe. Always. I think it will be a good thing to have your best friend around when Rachel arrives. If I recall correctly, Mr. Amber told me they would be here at around eleven o'clock. We still have a few hours."

The doorbell rang and as Chloe had expected, it was Max. The two friends embraced.

"I'm so happy to be here today, Chloe. This feels like the start of a new life or something. I wouldn't even pretend to know how you feel right now."

 _"_ _I want to tell you, Max, but I can't describe it, there's too much going on inside me right now. That's why I thought inviting you was such a good idea. I need someone who can help me keep my head on straight today."_

"It was so late when you called me, Chloe. I was already asleep. But I always love hearing your voice and I am happy to be here for you. This will become an emotional day, and I'm glad to support you. It's so awesome to see my best friend happy again. Maybe we can talk about what happened at Blackwell yesterday?"

 _"_ _What is going on at my favorite school? Tell me, Iron Max."_

"Sarcasm, much? It's alright, Chloe, I think it's funny. As I told you, myself and the other students from Mark Jefferson's class had a meeting at Blackwell yesterday. The first thing we were told is that the trustees had asked principal Wells to resign, which he agreed to. In the files there was too much evidence of him helping to cover up for Nathan Prescott's drug history and inappropriate behavior.

All of Wells' files have been turned over to the police. But I want to ensure you, he had nothing to do with anything that has happened to Rachel. He was just focused on Blackwell and was blind to what was happening, as were most others. I suppose we'll see him as a witness at the trial.

Mrs. Grant has been named as acting principal for the time being. The trustees want a friendly face to represent Blackwell as the school is going to be heavily scrutinized, and she is clearly the most qualified person. As for me and the others in Jefferson's class, we have been told that our scholarships are transferable and that they will cover any shortfall for a period of two years. I'm seriously checking out new schools right now.

Blackwell's ties with the Prescott foundation have been terminated, with the Prescott foundation agreeing to make a final payment on account of what has happened. The trustees are working on a plan to find new funding for the school.

One of the trustees told us that he had been contacted by some of Mark Jefferson's former associates in New York. They are shocked to learn what he has done and have suggested they help set up a fund for the families of his victims. And also for survivors, like Rachel and Kate.

And do you remember what I told you earlier, Chloe? I had asked Rachel's father to come over and discuss with Mrs. Grant the situation you and Rachel are in right now."

 _"_ _I remember, Max. I'm just glad that Rachel had enough people around her this last week, so she could focus on preparing her statement. What exactly did you discuss?"_

"One of the trustees joined our meeting. Mrs. Grant asked how you and Rachel were, and I said that things were starting to look better. Mr. Amber told them everything that had happened since Rachel was rescued from Jefferson's clutches.

We talked about the history that both you and Rachel had at Blackwell, I said I thought they owed you and Rachel something. I think my attempt at guilt tripping them worked. Mrs. Grant agreed with me and suggested that they award you each a honorary diploma. Mrs. Grant said she had seen in your records that both of you had excellent grades before things started to go down.

What Mrs. Grant wants to do is to retroactively overturn you being expelled, and clear your record as well as that of Rachel. As far as Blackwell is concerned, there is no evidence for any of the accusations against either of you. They are fully aware that it was Nathan Prescott who brought the drugs to Blackwell, and not Rachel.

Both the trustee and Mrs. Grant realize that you and Rachel might not want any publicity, and they agree that it can be handled in a private ceremony. Should you not want Blackwell's name on your diplomas, they can arrange to transfer your records to another school and issue diplomas from there.

Mrs. Grant told Mr. Amber and myself that this is highly unusual, but since circumstances are highly unusual they feel that it is alright for them to do so. They want to help both of you get started in your new lives."

 _"_ _Seriously Max? How awesome is that? I mean, sure I want a diploma and I'm sure Rachel wants one too. Will we have to do any tests? I can hardly believe this is even real. It feels like the Twilight Zone these days."_

"No, no tests. Not if you don't want to, Chloe. But discuss it with Rachel. And please go see Mrs. Grant. She says she's available for both of you. If you feel like talking with someone who will keep things confidential, she's a qualified therapist too."

 _"_ _We'll think about it. I'm sure that talking will help me and Rachel a lot. And Mrs. Grant was always very nice to students. I suppose it can't do much harm to go and see what she can do for us."_

"And there's more, Chloe. I talked to Kate Marsh. She wants to come over tonight, is that too early? I think it would be a good thing. The four of us can hang out in your room, maybe, or right here downstairs? Kate is very glad that Rachel is going to be OK, and is looking forward to meeting her."

 _"_ _I want her to come. We'll talk to Rachel about it and we can let her know, alright? And has Warren asked you for that movie night already? I seem to remember you promised him."_

"I forgot all about that. But yes, you are right, I owe him. Don't expect too much of it, I'm not ready to start dating someone for real, not yet anyway. I will admit that I do like seeing him geek out over stuff. I'll be nice, I promise."

 _"_ _Just give him a chance, Maxipad. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. You got nothing to lose, right? It's still your decision."_

* * *

The doorbell rang. Chloe looked at the clock and saw that it was past eleven in the morning.

 _"_ _How do I look, Max?"_

"You look great, Chloe. Remember I'm here for you. Just be yourself, OK? There's no need to freak out, you're safe here, everyone is."

David and Joyce came to the living room. Joyce saw that Chloe was extremely nervous and offered to open the door. Chloe just nodded as she was too excited to speak.

Joyce opened the door, the Ambers had arrived, as expected. Rose had rang the doorbell and James was supporting Rachel. Chloe stood in the middle of the living room as Rachel came inside. _"Nice Rachel we're having"_ , Chloe said. _"I mean weather. Sorry. Too nervous."_

"Just like during our first road trip, you haven't changed, Chloe. And I'm glad. Glad to be here, and to be with you all."

Chloe took over from Rachel's father and supported Rachel to the couch. Not much later they were all drinking tea and coffee, served by Joyce and Max.

"I just want to let you know", James Amber said to Joyce, David and Chloe, "I am so grateful for you helping to start my daughter on her path to recovery. I am sure that in this environment, especially with you here Chloe, Rachel will soon start to get better. I for one cannot wait to see her regaining her strength. We will do everything we can to support you."

"We are glad to help", Joyce answered. "Chloe will be able to help Rachel full time, so she'll never be alone."

Rachel smiled at Chloe who was sitting next to her. Chloe returned an awkward smile. Max saw how Chloe was struggling to keep her composure and suggested a tour of the house to lighten the mood.

While Joyce and David showed James and Rose the house, Chloe, Rachel and Max stayed downstairs.

 _"_ _Thanks for rescuing me there, Max. I wasn't sure I could hold on for much longer."_

"Dear Chloe, of course I did, that's what I'm here for. And I wanted to give you and Rachel a moment without all the adults. I mean, I know technically we're all adults, but it still doesn't exactly feel like it to me, sometimes."

"Max is right. And before I forget, I think you look very pretty today, Chloe. I like your hair like that. It was just how it was when we first met, except more blue now. I still think the blue really completes your look, and it's so much better to see you without a beanie. Right now, I can't stop looking at you. Trust me, you're not the only one who feels nervous."

 _"_ _Rachel, you're so much better than me at hiding it. And Max, why are you staring at me like that."_

"Because I love this scene, Chloe. Does it make me sound like a creep? I wish I had my camera with me. All I can say is that the look on your face reminds me of how Warren looks at me. You are so in love with her, I can tell so easily. I'm not sure how to feel about Warren yet but I am very sure how I feel about you two."

"I've been here with Chloe before, Max. But it's such a different feeling now. This house is still mostly the way it was. I can't wait to see your room, Chloe. Did you keep it like I remember it from last time?"

 _"_ _I cleaned my room last week, Rach. There was so much trash laying around. I put most of it in boxes to make room for your stuff. You have got so many different outfits, I'm kind of jealous."_

"I think it's time you showed me, Chloe. Let's go upstairs, now."

Max and Chloe supported Rachel up the stairs, and soon Rachel was sitting on the edge of Chloe's bed whilst Chloe sat on her chair. Max was standing near Rachel.

"I recognize so many of these posters", Rachel said. "Most things are exactly the way I remember them, except it looks so clean here now. I think I will feel at home here, very soon. And are you sure you're ready to sleep in the same bed as me?"

 _"_ _My bed is big enough for two, isn't it? It's not like I'm going to… well you know… immediately… it will fit easily."_

"I don't remember seeing your room this neat since before I left for Seattle, Chloe. You must have worked hard to clean it for Rachel. And I think it's really cute. Chloe, can I tell Kate Marsh she can come tonight?"

 _"_ _I think so, yes, I would like Rachel to meet more people and not just be holed up with me. Let's not spend all our time in this room, Rachel."_

"I agree. And Chloe, are those night lights? Did you get them for me? That is so adorable! Thank you!"

* * *

Joyce, David, James and Rose entered Chloe's room. They talked about the things that were going to happen. James mentioned the physical therapist that would come the next morning, Joyce pointed out she would have to return to work the next day.

David then surprised Chloe by telling her he had fixed her truck. She was visibly moved and offered him a fist bump, which he returned. Then she hugged him much to the joy of Joyce. James and Rose Amber once more affirmed their desire to keep helping out in any way possible.

"We lied to you for so long, Rachel. I know we can't buy forgiveness, but at least let Rose and me help you and Chloe get started up. I hope you will continue to let us into your life."

"Dad, there's no way I'd be shutting you out. I agree some things will take time, but we can work on them. There's much to do for all of us. Chloe is here to support me. I will be alright."

The Ambers left after dinner, and Max left too saying she was going to pick up Kate Marsh and bring her back to the Price residence. David and Joyce left Rachel and Chloe alone in Chloe's room. Joyce did come upstairs briefly to bring them tea.

* * *

"Here we are", Rachel said. "The moment I've dreamed of for so long. For months I could only imagine being with you, and now it's actually real. How do we even get started? It's been so long since we've had a moment like this."

 _"_ _The last time was in our junkyard shack, Rachel. But this feels different. We're not running away from anything anymore, we're not hiding anymore. Now we confront it together. We won't let those assholes Jefferson and Nathan win. Our survival will be their demise."_

"I really like the way you're thinking, Chloe. And I like how your room looks, even if it's the same as before, it's still a bit different in a way. And is that the doorbell? I wonder who that is?"

 _"_ _I think it's Max and Kate"_ , Chloe said. Chloe ran towards the door of her room, opened it and heard that Joyce had let Max and Kate in. Soon Max and Kate joined Rachel and Chloe in Chloe's room.

"Rachel", Max said. "This is Kate Marsh. She's the one Chloe and me told you about."

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Kate. How are you doing?"

"Thanks to Max, I'm doing well. I'm glad to see you too, I've only seen your face on those posters. I hope we can spend some time together the next few weeks to talk about stuff, you know the things that happened to us."

"Yes, we can do that", Rachel replied. "And we will. I would be very happy to, we're survivors, both you and me. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better."

"I didn't have it as bad as you", Kate said. "But if you can be strong, then I will be strong too. Things have changed so much for me, recently. I think they'll change a lot for you and Chloe too. Even Victoria Chase is nice to me now. She just keeps apologizing for what she and her crew did to me. I think she is sincere, and I find it easy to forgive. I don't like bearing grudges. And Max, thank you so much for helping me."

 _"_ _Let's play a game or something, watch a movie, whatever you guys want. I'll go get some drinks and snacks from downstairs"_ , Chloe said.

The evening went by very quickly. They played Truth or Dare. Rachel and Kate exchanged phone numbers. When the evening ended it was decided to get together again very soon, if possible.

Max took Kate back to Blackwell. Joyce came to check upon Chloe and Rachel before going to bed.

"Will you two be alright? Do you need anything? You must both be tired."

 _"_ _No mom, we'll be fine. Thanks for today, you are the best!"_

* * *

"Hey Chloe, are you coming to bed now? Don't be afraid, I won't bite. Unless you want me to. I want you next to me now. Don't make me wait any longer."

Chloe closed the door and switched off the main lights. Not much later they were both in bed, very aware of the atmosphere the night lights were giving to the room.

"It's almost like we're kids again. I like that it isn't completely dark. With you next to me, Chloe, I feel safe. You look so good, Chloe. I'd almost forgotten just how pretty you are, until I saw you downstairs earlier. And now we're here in bed, so close together, the feeling is even stronger."

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Rachel. I can't focus. My brain isn't processing things the way I want. I think I'm going to freak out now. Right now, I don't even want to go to sleep. I feel so afraid. I mean, I know all of this is real, but my brain hasn't fully accepted it yet. If I close my eyes, and open them again, will you still be there?"_

Chloe's body was shaking uncontrollably. Rachel realized that Chloe was experiencing an anxiety attack. She rolled over to Chloe as close as she could and embraced her, whispering sweet nothings into Chloe's ear. After a few minutes Chloe started to calm down.

"It's OK, I'm here for you, Chloe. We will support each other through all of this. Now we finally have time to deal with our issues together, in this safe environment. I've never felt better than to be with you right here, right now."

_"I don't think that was the last time I will have such an episode, Rachel. I don't want them to happen, but I don't think I will have it under control overnight. It will take a lot of time. I know I keep repeating it, but this whole situation keeps feeling so unreal, even if I know it's all real."_

Chloe and Rachel kissed a few times, and cuddled each other. They both fell asleep not long after. But halfway the night Rachel woke up screaming. The sound woke Chloe up too. _"_ _What's the matter, Rach? Please tell me. Let me help you as you helped me earlier. Did you have a nightmare or something?"_

"Yes, and it was horrible, it seemed so real for a moment. I'm glad to be awake and have you near me. Those night lights are really soothing, aren't they? We're just beginning, you and me. We have so much to discuss, to deal with, but we will deal with all of it, together."

 _"_ _Let me hold you, Rachel. Maybe that will help you sleep better? I would sleep better if I knew you were more comfortable. No one can hurt you in here. I won't let them hurt you, ever again. Let's both work to get better and when the time is right, we'll leave this place. But for now, we're safe here."_

Chloe pecked Rachel on the cheek and watched over her. Rachel soon managed to fall asleep again. Twenty minutes later Chloe was also asleep. And the night passed on.


	10. Therapy

**Therapy**

_(Present time: early November 2019, continued)_

"This is such a beautiful place. Chloe, Rachel, I love hanging out with you at the Santa Monica pier. I think it's a really good idea that we went out here just now. We needed some distraction. I so remember how beautiful you two were on your wedding day, very near to this place. I was so jealous, but in a good way."

_"Rachel and I have great memories here, Max. I hope the chow will be served soon, I'm starving. How's your margarita, Rach?"_

"Nice as usual, and please behave yourself this time, Chloe. Last time we were here, Max, she was complaining about everything". Rachel tried to hide her amusement by holding her hand in front of her mouth as she laughed, which greatly annoyed Chloe.

_"I didn't complain about everything, just about how that creepy old dude was staring at me. I merely told him to get lost. And also, it took so long for my food to be served and I don't like waiting when I'm hungry. I'm sure Max remembers the pancake days we had when we were young."_

"We're still young, Chloe. But I remember you were insufferable whenever you had to wait longer than a minute for a pancake. Your poor mom never complained. Such happy memories, though I feel a bit evil for remembering it so fondly."

_"I just want to say, Max, we're all going to keep spending lots of time together. You're my best friend and you always will be. Rachel and I will never forget how much you have helped us. And don't try to deny it, you saved us, Supermax. I'll keep reminding you of it."_

"Don't make me blush, Chloe. I've told you before at least a hundred times, I just did what I thought was best for my childhood best friend."

"Chloe is right, Max. And you're right too, C. What happened was maybe meant to happen, though much of it could have been avoided if I had made better choices. Oh, there we go, our food is coming. Eat normally, Chloe."

_"I always eat normally, Rach. I'm just very hungry right now. Man, I wish it was warmer outside, the three of us could go swimming, I'm certainly in the mood for some otter time."_

The three young women laughed when Chloe hummed the _Jaws_ theme music whilst looking at the two others.

* * *

**(Flashback: summer 2013)**

The morning after their first night together in Chloe's room, Rachel and Chloe were downstairs eating breakfast at the table. Joyce and David were both there too.

_"There's one thing I've been wondering about", Chloe said to David. "How did you know that we were at that shed? We never told you what we were doing."_

"I put a tracer on your truck a few days earlier. I was wondering where you kept running off to, and there were strange things happening. Someone, and I strongly suspect it was you or Max, was consistently leaking information about the case to me, anonymously."

 _"That was Max's friend Warren"_ , Chloe told David. _"Please don't be angry with us. We tried to do the right thing."_

"I'm not angry at all, I just wished you three could have told me these things to my face. Anyway, I'm glad that things ended the way they did. I'm happy for you, Chloe, and it's nice to be talking with you like normal people. I swear, all surveillance equipment was removed from the house before Rachel arrived. Also, I took the tracer off your truck."

"And I'm very glad to be here with all of you", Joyce said. "I love seeing you like this, Chloe, so happy. And don't forget, Rachel's physical therapist will be here soon. I'm told she's very good."

"I hope I'll be able to walk unassisted again very soon", Rachel stated. "I don't want to be a burden to you. Though I do love having my dear Chloe near me, she gives me strength."

_"No, don't say that. You're not a burden, Rachel. You're my dream. I will help you with everything you need. I am looking forward to taking road trips with you, and hanging out with you and Max, and some of the other girls like Kate or maybe Steph, if she's still around. Do you remember Steph? I think she was crushing on you at the same time I did. She's very nice, though. I told her you were a gamer, perhaps we can all play some Dungeons and Dragons together soon?"_

"I think I'd like that. Let's see what happens. We have so much to do, Chloe. And I take it we'll be heading to Blackwell very soon?"

"Yes, Rach. Mrs. Grant wants to see us. Maybe we can talk with her? Max said she's a qualified therapist, and there are other things she wants to discuss."

The doorbell rang, and Joyce let the physical therapist in. Chloe watched Rachel as she started on her path to recovery.

* * *

After the physical therapy session Chloe escorted Rachel back to the couch.

"I'm exhausted, Chloe. But I have to do this to get better, I know. Could you maybe get some orange juice for me? I'm real thirsty."

Chloe raced to the kitchen, and was back with Rachel's drink within half a minute.

_"One orange juice, as ordered. You know, Rachel, I'm going to do the same diet you are doing. I could stand living a bit healthier too."_

"You're so adorable, Chloe. And don't think I'm trying to order you around. But I will admit that it is so much easier to do the things I need to do with you supporting me. But Chloe, don't ever forget that we are equals, partners. And thank you for having me with you in your room."

_"You know very well that you don't have to thank me. I'll do anything for you, and don't you forget it. I won't ever let us grow apart again. I learned from our mistakes. This time, we are going to do it right. You will get better, and then we'll look for opportunities to leave this place. I want that dream you promised me, and a new start in Los Angeles would do us both much good."_

"We're going, Chloe. They can't stop us this time. No one will. Though I suppose we could ask our families for help? It can't hurt, can it? My dad knows people in Los Angeles, who knows what might happen if we ask?"

_"I like that idea. No more secrets. Let's wait a few days, think it over, and put our cards on the table."_

* * *

A few days later Chloe drove Rachel to Blackwell. They were going to visit acting principal Mrs. Grant, and afterwards check on their friend Max in her dorm room.

Chloe parked her truck as close to the entrance as she could. Despite the physical therapy she had received so far, Rachel was still unable to walk by herself, and needed Chloe's support to remain upright. Chloe was very happy to do it.

As they went inside the building, they were spotted by a familiar face. Mr. Keaton, the drama teacher, walked up to them and started a conversation.

"I am so happy to see you here, Rachel. I heard you were coming. And you too, Chloe. People told me what happened. I can't express how happy it makes me to see you two together again. Perhaps I can convince you both to join my class?"

"While I would love that, Mr. Keaton, that is not what Chloe and I are here for. But I do still want to thank you for letting me back in the Tempest play three years ago. And also, for letting Chloe play a small part."

"A small part, you say? I remember it very well. You went off script, Rachel. But that was such a beautiful scene. It was one of the most magical things I have ever seen on stage. I think everyone loved it. I bet you would make a wonderful actress, maybe you could even make it to Broadway?"

"Who knows what the future will bring? Anyway, we're going to see Mrs. Grant. Chloe and I have a lot to discuss today."

_"It's cool seeing you, Mr. Keaton. Rachel and I will always remember what you did for us. Thank you so much, even if it's three years late."_

* * *

Chloe and Rachel entered the principal's office, and as expected found Mrs. Grant there.

"Welcome Rachel, and Chloe. It is good to see you two here. There are lots of changes going on at Blackwell these days. The trustees asked me to function as acting principal for the time being. These are busy times but I will always make time for the two of you. I understand you're undergoing physical therapy, Rachel?"

"Yes Mrs. Grant, I'm now living in Chloe's house, and I share her room. I've had some physical therapy sessions already. It's tough, but I think I'll start to make progress very soon."

_"Rachel's going to be alright again. And I'll take care of her, I won't leave her side."_

"I can see change in you already, Chloe. It's a beautiful thing to behold. Perhaps the caterpillar will turn into a butterfly after all?"

_"No offense, Mrs. Grant, but I probably prefer to be an elf barbarian. But I appreciate the thought."_

"No problem, Chloe. Now to matters at hand. I've studied your school record, and that of Rachel. It is very clear to me that both of you are very intelligent. You both had excellent grades before things started going wrong. Now, considering the extraordinary circumstances of the last year, the board of trustees have agreed, at my suggestion, that we owe you both a honorary diploma. It is the least we can do to start righting the wrongs."

"Chloe, did you know this? Mrs. Grant, I think I would love to have one. How about you, Chloe?"

_"Are you kidding, Rachel? Hella yes. It would be such a relief. We need a basis to start anew. And this could be it. We'll gladly take your offer, Mrs. Grant."_

"I'm happy to hear it. Now, the State Board of Education has already approved the formal request I submitted on Blackwell's behalf, taking into account the extraordinary circumstances mentioned earlier, and the excellent track record both of you had before the dramatic events. I'll set things in motion, and will be signing your documents very soon. Also, the false accusations of drug trade levelled against Rachel have been removed from her record. And furthermore, I understand you have also considered my offer of therapy sessions?"

"Yes, Mrs. Grant. I think it would be good for Chloe and me to have someone to talk to while we are still here in Arcadia Bay."

"I take it that the both of you intend to leave this place?"

_"It's not that we want to, Mrs. Grant. Well, we do want to. But above all, both Rachel and I think we need a new start. We're looking at moving to Los Angeles at some point in the future, probably less than a year from now, maybe even sooner than we think."_

"I do agree that a new setting can really help with a new beginning. Maybe one of you wants to start talking about the things that happened? Don't feel pressured. Talk about what you want. There's no obligation to say anything. I'm here to listen."

"Do you want to start, or should I, Chloe?"

_"I have something I want to talk about, Rachel. You know how I told you Max saved my life? Well it's literally true. It was earlier this year, you had been gone for many months. It was the day that Max Caulfield came back into my life. We'd been childhood friends, Mrs. Grant. But Max and I lost contact after her parents moved to Seattle._

_…_

_I was in a bad state. My dad was dead. My best friend was gone for five years. And Rachel had disappeared. I had lost nearly all hope, I had no happiness left, and I was thinking of ending it all. That was the day Max returned. She saved me. Brought me back from the brink._

_…_

_We found so many clues, but we were still missing pieces of the puzzle. I was getting anxious that we wouldn't be able to ever find out what happened to Rachel, or who was behind those horrible photographs. We did suspect Nathan Prescott, but we had no conclusive evidence._

_…_

_I've been living a dream since Rachel came back to me. But sometimes, it still feels unreal. I still fear going to sleep, and waking up to find myself back in darkness, without Rachel, without Max. I'm not able to escape those anxieties just yet."_

* * *

"Thank you very much, Chloe. I'm beginning to understand why you behaved the way you did. You have been through so much. It cannot be overestimated how important it is for you and Rachel to be back together again. I hadn't expected to hear this much in our first session. Rachel, do you want to talk now?"

"Yes, I guess it's my turn, Mrs. Grant. I've told Chloe a few things already. But I don't remember everything that happened to me. I only remember spending much of those nine months in darkness. Mr. Jefferson often locked me up in a small room with no light. He would usually tie me up, or handcuff me. Sometimes he would put chains on me. Also, he kept drugging me. And that's the reason why I only have a partial recollection of what happened.

…

Mr. Jefferson would sometimes leave me alone with Nathan Prescott. Nathan was clearly lusting after me. And the worst thing is, I don't even remember if he ever… well… raped me. I just don't remember, only that he tried. I was usually blacking out when Mr. Jefferson left me with Nathan, barely conscious. I'll probably never know for sure what Nathan did to me. The doctors couldn't tell me much, either. I will still have to undergo some tests. They say the drugs are out of my system, but it doesn't always quite feel like that.

…

I had no hope left. There was no escape. Even if I could somehow lose the handcuffs and get out of the small room, the main doors to the Dark Room were still locked. And my physical condition was worsening. For weeks, I felt sick. Mr. Jefferson taunted me about how my life was going to end. Sometimes I just pretended not to hear.

…

I couldn't stop crying. All the mistakes I made. I feared I would never see you again, Chloe. I resigned myself to the end. Maybe the only way to escape was to die. And eventually, Chloe, we'd meet again on the other side. In heaven, or whatever place is out there.

…

I remember nothing about being rescued, as I was unconscious from the overdose. The first thing I saw after I woke up was Chloe. For a brief moment I thought I had actually died, and arrived in heaven. After all, it must be heaven if Chloe was there."

* * *

"Rachel, Chloe, I can't even begin to appreciate just how difficult it must have been for the both of you. And yet, the two of you are so brave for confronting these issues head on. I really hope we can have a few of these sessions, I think they might help very much with the testimony you'll have to give at the upcoming trial against Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Prescott."

_"I thank you, Mrs. Grant. Rachel and I really appreciate what you are doing for us here."_

"As Chloe said, we are really grateful. You've already helped us tremendously, and we will surely come back for more sessions. I feel some relief already, but we still have a long way to go. My nightmares are not going to disappear overnight."

"I agree that it will take a long time, Rachel. But, the privilege is all mine. I wish you and Chloe the very best and hope I can continue to help you in any way that I can, even if only in my limited ways. And you can always call me to schedule another session."

* * *

Chloe helped Rachel up, and the two bade Mrs. Grant goodbye. They slowly walked over to the dormitory. They were just around the corner from Max's room, when they bumped into another familiar face.

"Imagine seeing you two here", Victoria Chase said. "It's been a long time. First of all, I think I should apologize. It just makes me so sick to think of what Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott did to you. I can't believe I tried to get those two to like me. I am so ashamed. Maybe I should have realized something was off?"

"Come on, Victoria. You're not going to blame yourself for what happened? Chloe and I are not blaming anyone but those two. Except maybe ourselves for making such poor decisions. If anything, Chloe and I have to apologize to you for what we did to you before the Tempest play."

"That was you two? I admit, you got me good. I felt sick for a few days, but I suppose bitchy me had it coming, I'd been conspiring to take that part from you for some time. I'm not even ten percent of the actress that you are, Rachel. You should never have lost the part in the first place. I'm jealous of your acting skills, I admit it."

 _"Perhaps you and me have more in common than we've ever admitted before"_ , Chloe said. _"I get jealous too, every time I heard those stories about Rachel hanging out with others, I hated that. Now I realize that most of those stories were nothing but lies and exaggerations."_

"What I remember most clearly, Chloe and Rachel, is that time when people started sharing that picture of you two at the Firewalk concert. Nearly everyone who saw the picture was wondering who Rachel's _"arm candy"_ was, you Chloe. Firewalk is not really my kind of music, but you two looked so perfect together. Again, it's me being jealous."

_"I remember it as well. I saw most people who commented on that picture got my name wrong. But it doesn't matter. What matters is now. Me and Rachel are here to visit Max."_

"She's in her room, I just saw her a few minutes ago. Anyway, I'm off to see Kate Marsh. She asked me to help her with a children's book she wants to write. And I owe her a lot. I wasn't very nice to her, and I will do anything to make it up to her. She says she doesn't blame me, which is really cool of her. I never imagined that she and I could be friends. Guess these times have opened my eyes."

_"That is so nice to hear, Victoria. Me and Rachel are happy to see so much changing for the better. Say hi to Kate for the both of us."_

* * *

_"Tell me something, Rachel. I'm getting that Twilight Zone feeling again. Are we sure we're in the right universe? Because in this universe, even Victoria Chase is nice. What's going to happen next? Max turning into a snob?"_

"No", Rachel laughed, "Max never would". This is her room, right? Do you want to knock, or should I?"

_"Let me, let me! Yo Max! Maxipad! Little Max, little Max, let me in!"_

The door to Max's room opened, and Max welcomed her expected visitors.

"Hi there, Chloe, I knew it was you. And hi, Rachel. Come in, both of you. You are exactly on time, I just made tea."

_"Come here, my favorite otter. You deserve a big hug. Let's do a group hug! I'm actually not afraid to share, you know. You too, Rachel. Come here."_

"Be careful there, Chloe. You sure I won't try to steal Rachel from you", Max grinned.

_"No, I don't think my Maxipad would do such a thing. I see you're packing things already? What's the deal with that new school you're going to?"_

"Please stop calling me Maxipad, Chloe. You know I hate that name. And don't smile like that. But yeah, I've decided. I'm going to do the two-year course Photography and Art at UCLA. Blackwell has offered to transfer my scholarship, and I'm going over to Los Angeles. Guess I will get there before you two do."

"That is so cool, Max. Chloe and I will certainly be following you soon. We're going to officially tell our parents tonight that we want to move to Los Angeles. They already know, I suppose, but we've finalized our decision. It's so amazing you are going to be around, too. We'll hang out every chance we get, Max."

_"That's great, Rachel. And as for you, Max-a-roon, not so fast. You still owe Warren a date. And if you won't set it up, I will. I am not going to let you forget about it. He's crazy about you, and I think he deserves a chance. And since he helped save Rachel, I'm not going to let you leave him hanging. But of course, in the end it's your decision."_

"I will go on that date with him, Chloe. Don't worry. It's just that I've been so busy. I do like him, but I'm not sure of my feelings right now. I mean, he texted me earlier today about this new movie coming out. Maybe we'll go and see it."

_"Make sure you let us know how it went, Max. I hope you don't think I'm being too pushy? And if he tries anything you don't want, call me, and I'll deal with it, promised. No one is allowed to do anything to my Callamaxtia without permission."_

"I will be leaving within a week, Chloe. Let's keep in touch, shall we? Maybe I'll organize an L.A. welcoming committee for the two of you. Let me know when you arrive."

_"We will, I guarantee it. Shall we set a minimum of twenty-four text messages per day? And emojis don't count, Max."_

After the conversation, Max helped Chloe support Rachel back to Chloe's truck. The three young women said goodbye and knew they would see each other again soon.

* * *

The business at Blackwell and the visit to Max left Chloe and Rachel just enough time to prepare the dinner they had promised Joyce to make. Rachel's father and his wife were also scheduled to attend. David Madsen arrived from his shift at Blackwell.

"These mashed potatoes are pretty good", Joyce said. "I think you're ready to help me at the diner tomorrow, Chloe."

_"I haven't forgotten, mom. I'll be there. Rachel can do her physical therapy and talk with that lawyer dude, like scheduled. It will be good for me to have something to do."_

"We do have something to say", Rachel stated. "Chloe and I have been talking this over for some time now. I mean, we wanted to do it three years ago, but for obvious reasons it wasn't feasible back then. Today, we were at Blackwell to talk to acting principal Mrs. Grant. She's really good at helping us talk about what has happened.

We've decided that we want to go to Los Angeles, the two of us. We need a fresh start. Blackwell is helping us with that. Mrs. Grant said there's going to be a fund for the families of Mark Jefferson's victims, and the survivors. It's not that we don't want your money, but we need to establish ourselves independently. I hope you will support our decision. We don't want to abandon you, but we need to do this."

_"You will all have heard us mention Los Angeles before. But now we are sure. Rachel and I have too much history around here. Please don't cry, mom."_

Chloe and Rachel both looked at each other, and at the others at the table. Chloe's mother Joyce said she had expected the news. "You're right, my dear Chloe. I do think this is best for you. David and I will support you anyway we can."

James and Rose Amber immediately offered to help as well. "I think it's fair you don't want to accept much more money from Rose and me. But at least let us help you find a decent place to live. I still have some contacts in Los Angeles who will be able to find something affordable in a good part of the city. Will you let us do this for you?"

"Of course we will, dad. We're grateful for all the help we can get, from all of you. It will be good to get a head start."

Rachel took Chloe's hand. Chloe started blushing again. "We're going to make it, Chloe", Rachel said.

"I hope you two don't mind", Rose Amber said. "But right now, seeing you both like this is making me emotional. For so long, I tried to pretend I was your real mother…"

Rachel interrupted Rose. "Don't do this, as far as I am concerned, you are still my mother. You helped raise me. There is nothing to forgive. I guess Chloe and I have this in common, we don't want to dwell on the past. Not anymore than is necessary, in terms of therapy and the upcoming trial."

_"Rachel, I got a stepfather, you got a stepmother. I accept it. And I agree with you. We're all family here, now. I hope you all enjoyed this dinner, Rachel and I did our best."_

Around ten o'clock the Ambers left for their home. Chloe and Rachel excused themselves and went upstairs.

* * *

_"It's official now, Rach. I can't wait to get to Los Angeles with you. And I want to drive us there, road trip style. As soon as we find an apartment, or your parents find one for us, we will go."_

"Life is strange, isn't it, Chloe? We talked about this for so long, and now we're just one step away from actually doing it. And we'll be near where Max is too. I hope we'll all remain best friends forever."

_"I don't even want to think about what happened before the storm hit the coast, when you were in the hospital. Let's just focus on us, now. How will we make a living in Los Angeles? I can be a waitress, maybe. It's not going to make us rich, but hopefully we'll be able to afford that place of our own."_

"I'll have to think of something too. Right now, no one's going to pay me a lot of money to act, right? I'll have to start at the bottom. Work hard, work my way up. Right now, I would like to be a stage actress or maybe a rock singer or something. But I can wait tables, too. Maybe we'll end up opening our own coffee shop or small diner someday?"

_"That would be awesome, Rachel. I was thinking of a tattoo shop, or maybe help selling Max's art? But as long as we're together, we'll make it. Just let me breathe in and out for a bit. I think I can stop this episode before it starts. Give me a moment. Alright... I think I beat it."_

Rachel was a bit concerned as Chloe's anxiety episode seemed to come out of nowhere. But seeing Chloe beat it gave her relief. "Take all the time you need, Chloe. And when you're ready, I want to feel you next to me. Let's make this feel real. Kiss me."


	11. Lighthouse

**Lighthouse**

(Flashback: late summer 2013)

The next few weeks went by very fast. Chloe and Rachel bade Max goodbye as she left for Los Angeles to study at UCLA. Chloe and Max sent each other record numbers of text messages, and called each other often via Skype, with Rachel joining Chloe. Rachel made serious progress on her physical recovery. Chloe started working at the diner alongside her mom, sometimes bringing Rachel along. The lawyer hired by James Amber was working with Rachel on her future testimony.

The therapy sessions with Mrs. Grant gave Chloe and Rachel an outlet for their issues. However, Chloe continued to have anxiety attacks and Rachel kept suffering from nightmares. But both Chloe and Rachel were in agreement that it would be worse to not talk about the things that had happened. Blackwell came through with official honorary diplomas for both Chloe and Rachel. Kate Marsh visited the Price residence a number of times to talk with Rachel.

Rachel's 19th birthday was celebrated on the 22nd of July with family and friends. It was a low key event and Chloe and Rachel shared an intimate moment after everyone else had gone home. They weren't ready to go all the way yet, but the next morning they did shower together.

The Blackwell trustees finalized the fund for Mark Jefferson's victims and their families. The promised amount was not going to make Chloe and Rachel rich, but would afford them a new start and would allow them not to worry over money issues for at least a year.

* * *

It was Friday afternoon, late August 2013. Chloe sat at her desk in her room and was very busy with some handiwork. Rachel walked in, wondering what Chloe was doing. Chloe looked up and to her surprise saw Rachel standing there.

_"Hey Rachel, I didn't expect you just yet. I'm still busy."_

"What are you doing, Chloe? Are you making something? Can I see it?"

 _"_ _Not right now, Rachel. I am not finished with this yet. I will show it to you later, I promise. And I really thought your therapy session would take longer so I'd have more time."_

"Physical therapy was good today, Chloe. I think I'm making real progress. The therapist was very optimistic, and she said I wouldn't need much more intensive work, and we can go over to lighter sessions soon. Also, my eyes are starting to get used to daylight again. Maybe I can come help you and Joyce out more often? I feel really good now. What are we going to do tonight?"

 _"_ _I want to take you to the lighthouse tonight, so we can hang out there. If we get there on time, we could enjoy what Max calls_ "the golden hour" _, and maybe we can talk. I want to talk to you about something, but not here in this house. They say tonight's sunset is going to be especially beautiful, on account of the relative positions of the sun and the moon. Or something like that, I'm no expert."_

"I'm curious to hear what you want to talk to me about, Chloe. I've been to the lighthouse before, but only a few times, and the last time was years ago. When are we leaving?"

 _"_ _Right after I finish this thing here. Can you give me some space? I don't mean to be bitchy, or anything, but I have to complete this, it's essential for tonight."_

"I'm curious now. I'll wait for you downstairs, Chloe, and watch some TV or something. Let's hope the weather stays good."

* * *

_"_ _I think we can park the truck right here. I want to walk the entire path with you, Rachel. Can you do it?"_

"As long as you are here to support me, and hold my hand, I think I will be fine. But let's take it slow, Chloe."

 _"_ _Did you see Max's pictures, Rach? I'm so jealous right now. I can't wait to get to L.A. with you."_

"Those pictures were beautiful, weren't they? She's really got an eye for it, Chloe. It wouldn't surprise me at all if she became famous."

 _"_ _My Spidermax deserves it. She isn't even going to need those classes. But I like seeing her get her geek on with her camera. Maybe one day we can ask her to make some pictures of the two of us?"_

"That would be really cool. I bet she can make you look even more beautiful than you already are. I can't stop looking at you, Chloe Price."

 _"_ _Come on, Rach. You're far more beautiful than I am. You're a true model. I still feel so awkward and overwhelmed when I'm near you."_

"No Chloe, don't demean yourself. When we get to Los Angeles, and when we start going out to clubs and concerts, all the guys over there are going to go crazy over you. I am willing to bet that one day, some dude is going to walk towards you and he'll say _"excuse me miss, but you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, do you want to come and have a drink with me?"_ And he will be hoping for a lot more than that. And you are going to have such a look of surprise on your face."

 _"_ _Don't laugh, Rachel. I seriously cannot see that happening, I'm sure he's going to pick you. You're far more in tune with L.A. style than I am."_

"I'm going to be proven right, Chloe. He'll wait for your answer, and then I will step in and say _"back off, she's with me"._ And then I will give you a kiss, right in front of him. I'll take your hand and we'll walk away. You're going to be a heartbreaker, Chloe."

 _"_ _All I can say to that, Rachel, is that I will bet all the money I don't have against that happening. But I do like the idea of having a good time with you, often. And we'll do all the things we couldn't do for the last year or so. We have a lot to catch up on."_

"It's so beautiful here, Chloe. I love walking towards the lighthouse with you, this path is so gorgeous, the scenery, everything. And I can't help but notice you look more nervous than normal. Do I have to be worried? It doesn't matter. I want to ask you a question, Chloe. How did you know?"

 _"_ _Emm... Rachel, you're going to have to help me out here, how did I know what?"_

"Let me put this another way, Chloe. How did you know you were into… _girl-on-girl_ , so to speak?"

 _"_ _Maybe I always knew I was gay, deep down. Looking back at certain situations, I might have had a crush on Max when I was probably far too young for such things. But after my dad died, and Max left for Seattle, I was so alone. In 2009 I first met Eliot. He was different from the douchebags I usually saw at Blackwell. He asked me out to see a movie, and later we went to see concerts and did other stuff. But even while I was with him, I only ever pleasured myself thinking of girls, like Pris from Blade Runner._

_But it was really cool to hang out with Eliot. I think he was in love with me, and was already imagining a future for him and me. He wrote poems about me, they were intensely beautiful. He was there for me when I needed someone to be. My mom certainly liked him._

_One evening, after a concert, we ended up in his room. And I guess it just sort of happened, not planned or anything. It was actually not a bad experience at all. He was so gentle, he really eased me into it. It was awkward, to be sure, but kind of weirdly pleasant. But in the end, it just didn't do anything for me. After the sex, he put his arm around me, and we fell asleep._

_The next morning, I woke up first. That's the moment I knew who I was, romantically speaking. I felt so sad, because I'd have to tell him it wasn't going to work out. And it wasn't his fault. He never treated me like shit. He deserved better than me starting to shut him out. I didn't know any other way than to start ignoring most of his calls. And not much later, Firewalk happened, and you, Rachel._

_I saw Eliot a few more times, we talked a bit but I was friendzoning him. I felt guilty over it, but knew it couldn't be any other way, I just wasn't into him or any guys really. He kept trying for a while._

_The last time I saw him is when he tried to invite me to the Tempest play. I ended up going with you, and we both know what happened next. He must have seen us on stage."_

"He might have. He sounds like a nice person to hang out with. I'm glad for you, Chloe, that you had someone to hang out with when you needed it. I think that someone as friendly as him will be able to find another girl. Maybe he already has."

 _"_ _I certainly hope so, Rachel. He deserves it, and it will make him forget about me. And now that we're on the subject, how did you know you were into girls?"_

"Probably longer than I am realizing right now, Chloe. You know the situation I grew up in. A successful father, a perfect mother, and all the expectations that came with that. I didn't yet know the story about my biological mother, but part of me had suspected for a while that something weird was going on. Father was going away from time to time, and my not-my-real-mom wouldn't tell me anything.

At school I kept acting the part of the perfect daughter. I was getting great grades, worked hard to become popular, hung out with the Vortex Club crowd, and I had dreams of being a human rights lawyer, or something else that would impress people. You also know I was modelling on the side, and I was acting in Mr. Keaton's plays.

I dated a few Vortex Club guys. But not Nathan Prescott, though he did ask for a date. I went all the way with two of those guys. Both times happened in the months before I met you, probably when you were dating Eliot. But neither experience was any good at all. Both times made me feel really sick, afterwards. I was still trying to tell myself I was into guys, but it wasn't true. I was in denial, I realize that now.

I worried what my parents would think if they found out I was gay, what people in school would think. I worried about my image. And then I noticed you. I'd seen you around before, but I was increasingly attracted to you, Chloe. I looked for ways to get close to you, because I was afraid to just walk up to you in school.

You see, Chloe? You weren't the only one being overwhelmed by someone. Once I heard you were going to be at the Firewalk concert, I decided to go too so I could meet you there. I bought a new outfit especially for the occasion. And there you were. After Frank chased those skeevy guys away, we had the time of our lives that night, didn't we? It was kind of like our first date, and it was awesome.

Chloe, you made me feel that I could be myself. You still do. With you, there was no need to act out and for me to pretend to be someone I was not. It was a whole new experience for me, I even started playing with myself at night whilst thinking of you. And despite your awkwardness, you were so direct. You told me you felt more than a friendship, even when we barely knew each other. When I said I wanted to leave Arcadia Bay, you immediately offered to come with me.

I guess that for a while, I didn't treat you the way I should have. I should have shared my feelings with you, all of them, instead of hanging out with Frank. Maybe part of me was still trying to deny who I really was. Also, my home situation didn't exactly improve after my parents told me the truth, did it? But all the time, I swear, I was only into you. Always thinking of you, and ways I could get out of Arcadia Bay and take you with me. And soon, we will."

 _"_ _I cannot wait, Rachel. Look, we're almost at the lighthouse, you must be tired. We can sit on that bench near the edge, the sun is already going down."_

* * *

"It really is beautiful here, Chloe. I can see why your friend Max calls it _"the golden hour"_. It's wonderful being here with you, and only you. And look at that sky, and those colors, I've never seen that before. Thank you for taking me here tonight."

 _"_ _Rach, I told you I had something to say, remember? I'm not really very good at these things, but I cannot wait any longer. I've been thinking this over for some time. When should I do it? How should I do it? I have to admit, I brought you here for a reason."_

"Now you got me really intrigued, Chloe. I love that look on your face. Tell me."

 _"_ _Please Rachel, I'm nervous enough as it is. So I'll just go ahead with this, and see where it ends. Rachel Amber, we've known each other for about three years now. If there is one thing I learned in those three years, is that I cannot bear not being with you, not seeing you. You're always on my mind. And the reason is very simple. This isn't a crush anymore. I am in love with you Rachel, hopelessly so. I'm long past the point of no return._

_I know we're in the middle of a process. Your physical recovery, my anxieties, your nightmares. It will take a lot of time, and there will be ups and downs. I want us to create many happy memories, to balance out all the bad stuff that has happened. We won't forget what happened, but we will give it a place. And I know it's maybe way too early to be asking you what I'm going to ask, but I'm going to do it anyway, I can't wait, I'm sorry."_

* * *

Chloe got up from the bench and went on her knees, taking Rachel's right hand into hers.

 _"_ _Rachel, I feel that the best way to do these things is if we do them together. I hope I can keep it dry, because I'm about to have a breakdown, so I best say what I have to say now. Rachel, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you. I want us to be happy together. I want all these things, I know it sounds greedy. Together we can deal with all the issues. I can't imagine ever being with someone else. Rachel Amber, will you marry me?"_

Rachel was quiet for a few moments. Chloe was anxiously awaiting her answer, barely able to breathe.

"As your friend Max would say, Chloe, _"wowser"._ I knew something was up when you were acting so secretive earlier today, but I didn't guess this. I thought you wanted to talk about Los Angeles. But I won't leave you hanging here, waiting for an answer. Remember when I went on my knees during the Tempest? It was kind of like this, except less official. I want you to know, I also want to spend the rest of _my_ life with _you_. My answer is yes, I will seek to make your happiness the greatest in the world."

And with that, Chloe broke down in tears. Rachel held Chloe's head against her body, comforting her.

"Dearest Chloe, right now I feel more in love with you than ever before. Take all the time you need. I think I'm about to start crying myself."

 _"_ _Sorry about this Rachel, I know I'm a drama queen, and way too emotional. And I almost forgot, I brought something for you. Here it is. I hope you like it."_

"A necklace? Chloe, it's so beautiful! You made it yourself? It's amazing. Do you want to put it on me?"

 _"_ _I made two of these necklaces, Rachel. I'm already wearing mine, I guess I wasn't thinking because maybe I should have given it to you first? I'm still too nervous. But let me put this one on you now."_

"It doesn't matter, Chloe. It's gorgeous. I love it. It is the best present I've ever had. Now I feel really sad I don't have anything for you. Wait… I have this. I can give you one of my favorite bracelets. Let me put this one on you now. Give me your hand, Chloe. There, now we match in necklace and bracelet."

 _"_ _Thank you so much Rachel. I love this bracelet. I don't think I'm going to stop crying for a while, but they're tears of happiness, because right now I'm feeling better than ever."_

"We'll get married in Los Angeles, Chloe. I am thinking Santa Monica, near the water. We should do it either before or after the trial, but we can talk about the time and place later. Because now, I want you to come sit next to me again, and let's enjoy the rest of this evening together."

Chloe put her arm around Rachel. And as the sun went down, both young women knew they were now officially committed to each other. Rachel put her head on Chloe's shoulder, and it wasn't until long after midnight that the two returned to the Price residence, on their way to their joint future, together forever. All during the night, Chloe held Rachel in her arms, feeling on top of the world.


	12. Daughter

**Daughter**

(Present time: early November 2019, continued)

"I remember when I heard about it, Chloe. It must have been the morning after. You were so excited, you must have sent me a thousand text messages, and at least a dozen pictures of you and Rachel. I was eating breakfast and my phone went berserk. So, I decided to call you. Was I the first to know?"

 _"_ _Yes of course you were, Iron Max. And the first thing I asked you, was if you wanted to be my best Max… man… dude… well you know! I'm glad you accepted. And I'm sorry Rachel and I made you wait over a year. But you know, issues."_

"I was glad to accept, Chloe. And I understand. I guess I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. I've known you most of my life, after all. And you went straight to the point with Rachel. Well… maybe not _straight_. I apologize, that was a bad joke. Your text messages left no doubt about your state of mind. Even I couldn't stop smiling all day, thinking about it."

"Chloe couldn't wait to tell everybody. I had to slow her down, Max. I said to her we should get our parents together again, and tell them. So once again, we spent all afternoon preparing a dinner for them. I'm sure David suspected something, he came home an hour before Joyce did and was looking at us as if he knew something had happened."

 _"_ _And I had called Rachel's father. He said he had important and exciting news for us, but I had to interrupt him and told him we had something to say as well. James and Rose arrived around six o'clock, right on time."_

"Chloe's mother was the first to ask us what was going on. Chloe took my hand, and we showed them our bracelets, and the necklaces Chloe made. Chloe just simply said _"she said yes"_ , and after a few seconds Joyce guessed what was going on. She started crying and said she was so happy to hear it. Even David was clearly moved."

 _"_ _Your stepmom had the same reaction my mother did, Rachel. Your dad was all stunned, he didn't know what to say for a few minutes. I told them that I had thought about it for some time, and just decided that I couldn't wait. I'm like that, I suppose."_

"My dad picked himself up after a few moments, Max. And he immediately told me and Chloe that he had originally wanted to come and tell us that one of his contacts had found us a suitable apartment in Los Angeles, he had even brought pictures. But my dad realized that it wasn't _the_ big news anymore. Though it was still big news."

 _"_ _Yes, it was. Rachel's dad said that he and Rose were going to pay for the first year of that apartment, as an early wedding gift to us, and that they wouldn't take no for an answer. We gladly accepted it. Max, can you understand how excited I was? There were no more barriers to keep Rachel and me from Los Angeles. I was tripping balls."_

"That's so amazing, Chloe. You nearly broke my phone again that night. The good news just kept piling up for the both of you. Thinking about it today, it went so fast from that moment to the day you two arrived in Los Angeles. It was about five weeks, wasn't it?"

 _"_ _Something like that, Max. I think we ended up moving late September. Rachel's dad started planning to move our things over to the new apartment. My stepdad helped him. My mother and Rachel's stepmother went shopping to buy us some necessities. There was so much to do."_

"Max, my father arranged for people to lay fresh carpet, do the painting, fix up things that were broken and you name it. Chloe and I felt a little awkward that we wouldn't get to see anything until we actually got there. But she and I promised each other that we could always redecorate the apartment later. The important thing was to get there, and get started with our lives in Los Angeles."

"And now we are sitting here. More than six years after. Rachel, you and Chloe have been married for over five years. Me and Warren for nearly three. And as you both know, it took a while before I realized I wanted Warren in my life, I'd been friendzoning him for so long. It's been quite a ride so far, for all of us. Our lives are only just beginning."

 _"_ _That's true, Max. As for your pregnancy, Rachel and I can't wait to babysit. It's getting late now, shall we return to our apartment? You want to stay with us some more, Max?"_

"Yes, Chloe, I'd love that. You know I like being around the two of you."

* * *

**(Flashback: late summer 2013, continued)**

_"_ _Shall I send it, Rachel? It seems like a cool place to work at. And interviews aren't starting until two weeks from now. There, I clicked it. Let's see where this goes!"_

"They will hire you, Chloe, or they will regret losing the best waitress in the world. It's so wonderful to see you smile. I can't stop looking at you. Also, I think I should start looking for a job too, once we get to Los Angeles. Just another week to go, and then we're actually going."

 _"_ _I can't believe I'm trying to be a waitress now, like mom, but it seems like the best option, short term. We don't exactly have money to set up a business of our own, Rachel, not yet anyway. And I think we should save what we can from the Blackwell fund."_

"I agree. Dad sent me the latest pictures of our future apartment. He says it's finished, some of our stuff is there already, plus the furniture they bought for us. Here, look. It seems cozy enough. But it will be weird once we get there. I haven't been to L.A. for so long, Chloe."

 _"I like the apartment, Rachel. We'll see it for real, soon. And as for Los Angeles,_ _you were there before, when you were a kid. I've hardly been away from Arcadia Bay, ever. Even when my dad was still alive, we didn't have much money. I've never actually been to L.A., and now that we're leaving soon, I'm getting a bit scared."_

"And yet you've offered to drive us there. You're my hero, Chloe. It's going to be our first real road trip. I mean, a road trip further away than taking a freight train from one side of Arcadia Bay to the other. There's nothing to be scared of, I'm there for you. Are you ready for it, Chloe?"

 _"_ _Hella yes. It's what I want. We'll drive there, stop at a motel on the way. And when we get there, I want to see the looks on the faces of people in our soon-to-be neighborhood when they see us coming in that old clunker of ours. But I wouldn't trade the truck for any other car. We're going to wear it out."_

"Is there anyone we still have to say goodbye to? We've seen so many people in the last few weeks, it's hard to keep track of them all, Chloe. Do you know what happened to Frank Bowers? I haven't seen or heard anything from him since I was rescued."

 _"_ _I don't really know, Rachel. It wouldn't surprise me if he left, considering how the police and FBI are still investigating everything. But I have no idea. For some reason, I think he had a soft spot for us, call it a hunch if you want."_

"Do you think he was involved, Chloe? I mean, I could never believe it. It would just seem wrong, he's not that kind of person."

 _"_ _No, Rachel, no way that he was involved. He probably did sell drugs to Nathan, but he sold drugs to all of us, even you and me. He was… I don't know, like I said. But… I just thought… maybe there is someone we have to say goodbye to. Someone I haven't seen in a long time. I'm not sure…"_

"Who is it, Chloe? Someone from your past? A classmate? You're looking real serious here."

 _"_ _I am serious, Rachel. He's someone I loved as much as I love you. And he's not exactly with us anymore. I need to see him one more time, before we leave for Los Angeles. I won't blame you if you don't want to come with me. It's my dad, he's buried at Arcadia Bay Cemetery._

_I haven't been to his grave for so long, Rachel. I used to go very often, just to try and talk to him. After a while, I stopped going altogether. And now I'm overcome with the urgent need to go. I don't even know why."_

"It's not weird at all, Chloe. And I'm coming with you. We do things together now, remember? Do we have to change into something more appropriate? I think we should."

* * *

About an hour later, Chloe and Rachel walked through the cemetery entrance, and Chloe held Rachel's hand tight. The two walked past the trees, and then past several rows of gravestones, before arriving at the grave of Chloe's father. The gravestone's inscription was fading a little bit, but it was still clearly readable.

_William H. Price, 1970-2008, beloved husband and father._

"Are you OK, Chloe? You don't look too well."

 _"_ _I desperately want to cry, Rachel. But tears just aren't coming right now."_

"It's alright, dear angel. I'm here with you. Just take your time. Never forget that I'm right here, next to you."

_"Thank you, Rachel. I have to talk to him now, even if I know he can't hear me. Just don't think of me as weird. I really need to do this._

_Dad? Are you out there somewhere? I'm sorry I didn't come here for such a long time. I didn't mean to stay away, but things did not go so well for me since I was last here. Except the last few weeks, and that's what I'm here for today._

_I want you to meet Rachel Amber. I met her three years ago. And it's kind of difficult to explain, but she's my fiancée. Yes, you heard that right. I know what you're saying, I'm still way too young, and Rachel too. I have to tell you, she is so amazing._

_Did you know I was into girls? Maybe you did, maybe not. I do remember that one time, I think I was nine years old, that I told you I wanted to marry Max. And you said,_ "well sure Chloe, if that's what Max wants too" _. We laughed about it. It wasn't serious, of course. I guess I was too young to really understand such things as love back then. But it's different now._

_If you can see me, from wherever you are, if there is an afterlife, maybe you've seen how me and Rachel got to be together. Like I said, it's complicated. And you should know, Rachel's been through this terrible nightmare, and she's still recovering from it. I was already in love with her when she disappeared, and not being able to see her upset me so much._

_It was a bad time for me, but far worse for her. I feared I would never see her again. Everything closed in on me. I had thoughts about killing myself. Please understand, I didn't really want to tell you things like that, but I can't leave it out. Tell me, dad, were you looking out for me? Did you make Max come back after all those years? Whatever caused it, I'm so glad it happened. Max came back, just in time, and she saved me. And now, Max and I are best friends again, as we used to be._

_I still miss you so much, and mom does too. You know she married another man, right? I told you, last time I was here. I used to hate that man. But I am telling you now that I was wrong, so wrong. David Madsen is actually a good man for mom. I think you would agree that Joyce shouldn't be alone. And David helped to save Rachel. How can I ever start to repay him?_

_And there's more. Rachel and I won't be around in Arcadia Bay for much longer. Next week, we will set off on our road trip to Los Angeles. We are going to live there, dad. Rachel's father helped arrange it. And one day, probably after the trial, she and I will get married._

_I can't wait for that day, dad. But what I wouldn't give to have you escort me down the aisle. I know it can't ever be, but I want you to know, that I'm going to be looking for a sign from you that day. Does that make me sound superstitious? Mom says you would have liked Rachel. I think so too. You always wanted what is best for me. And this is best for me, dad. I was broken but I will be whole._

_I promise you, I will try to make Rachel happy, because she makes me so happy. I'm not going to be crying all my life, even if the last few years have been so difficult. Rachel completes me, dad. I hope I do the same for her. Both of us have issues, but we can deal with them together._

_Just one last thing, dad. Don't be angry with me, but I'm changing my name after the wedding. I'm going to become Mrs. Amber. But never forget, to you I will always be Chloe Elizabeth Price, your loving daughter. For all the time we did have together, you were the most amazing father any daughter could ever have wished for."_

* * *

Chloe turned around to embrace Rachel, and cried her heart out. The tears that didn't come earlier, now seemed to flow freely. Chloe and Rachel held hands again, stood at the grave for a few more minutes, silent, and then turned to leave. Chloe looked at Rachel.

 _"_ _Rach, my father isn't losing a daughter. He's gaining one. You."_

"Thank you Chloe, I can't even begin to tell you how much that means to me."


	13. Road (Part I)

**Road (Part I)**

(Flashback: early autumn, 2013)

It was past six o'clock in the morning. Autumn had arrived, though it was still very warm outside. Chloe had been awake for more than half an hour already. Rachel was still sleeping and Chloe did not want to disturb her, yet. Chloe decided to go downstairs and get a cup of coffee. To her surprise, her mom was already there.

"Good morning, Chloe. The day has come. You're flying out of the nest, today. How do you feel? Are you up for such a long drive? You know, I really would have preferred it if you two had decided to travel by plane."

_"I'm feeling alright, mom. I guess I am a little nervous, as usual, but Rachel and I really do want this to be a road trip. All we have to do is take the road to Salem, and from there turn south on the I-5 S which will take us to Los Angeles and our new home."_

"You make it sound so easy. But it is a thousand miles, Chloe. So much can happen on the way there. I guess that maybe I'm worrying a bit too much. Mr. Amber did say your apartment is in a nice part of town, not too far from Santa Monica."

_"Rachel and I will make it, mom. And you know, Max is there too. She's at UCLA, and that's not far from our place either, from what I can see on the map. Can I have some coffee? What are you making? Scrambled eggs? I hope there's some bacon to go with them, you know I love that."_

"Of course, Chloe. And I'm preparing some food for the two of you to take with you on the road. That's why I got up so early. I want you to have one last good memory of Arcadia Bay before you leave. I'm going to miss you, but you've grown up, both of you. It had to happen sooner or later. Your dad would have been real proud of you. I'm glad you went to see his grave last week. I will go too, soon, I promise you that."

_"Don't cry, mom, you know I love you. Even if I didn't always show appreciation for all the things you did for me. Mmm… this coffee is really good. That's going to keep me awake."_

* * *

After eating breakfast, Chloe went back upstairs. She washed herself and went back to her room to get dressed, and to see if Rachel had already woken up.

_"Wakey, wakey, princess. Hey Rach, you need to get up and get ready. Mom's already made breakfast. Did you sleep well?"_

"I slept just fine. And good morning to you, Chloe. You're dressed already, that's unusual. Come here for a moment, will you?"

_"Sure, Rachel. Do you want to talk about something?"_

"No, not really, Chloe. I just want to savor this last moment here, together. We might never sleep here again. I want you to hold me for a second."

_"Well in that case, angel, come here. It always feels so good to have you in my arms."_

"Ooohhh my… you are sure feeling frisky this morning, Chloe. Groping me all over, and look at that grin on your face."

_"Get used to it, Rachel. And from the look on your face, you don't seem to mind. Let me squeeze you tight, once more. Hmmm... this feels great, you're so cuddly."_

"Wait here for me, Chloe. I'll go to the bathroom and freshen up. I want us to leave this room together, at the same time."

Chloe agreed. Whilst waiting for Rachel, she packed the last few things that remained in her room, and looked at Rachel's outfit for the day, she liked it.

There was a long trip ahead of them. Rachel returned after a few minutes, and got dressed. Both of them looked at Chloe's room one last time, embraced, kissed, and then went downstairs together.

* * *

About an hour later, Joyce, David Madsen, James Amber, his wife Rose and Mrs. Grant from Blackwell were all present outside the Price residence. Chloe and Rachel were about to start their road trip. The two had already said goodbye to most other people they knew in the week before.

 _"I think we got everything"_ , Chloe said. _"We have got a map, the address, the landlord's phone number, money for fuel and a motel, a navigation system, our phones and our papers. Did I forget anything?"_

James Amber reminded Chloe and Rachel they needed to call the lawyer's office once they arrived, as well as make an appointment with the physical therapist that had been suggested to them, Rachel still needed to work on some things before she would be fully healthy again.

Mrs. Grant let the two young women know they could always call her for recommendations in case they wanted to continue regular therapy sessions in Los Angeles.

Chloe embraced her mother. Then, to her mother's joy, she hugged David, and thanked him once more. Rachel bade her father and stepmother goodbye, and told them they would talk soon. Chloe and Rachel then thanked Mrs. Grant for all she had done.

It was time to go, they had to cover about five hundred miles that day before nightfall. Chloe hoped they would be able to reach Red Bluff on the Sacramento River in Northern California, before stopping at some motel they had seen on the map.

Rachel occupied the passenger's seat, and Chloe sat herself behind the steering wheel. She put the key into the ignition. The truck's engine started humming, it seemed to run much smoother than it had just a few months ago, Chloe knew that was David's work. Chloe saw her mother nod to her, and took it as a sign to put the truck in motion.

Less than a minute later, Chloe and Rachel were out of sight. Joyce, David, James, Rose and Mrs. Grant went back inside the Price residence.

* * *

_"I've waited three years for this, Rachel. Please squeeze my arm, I want to know this is real. Sorry to keep asking for confirmation."_

"How's this for a squeeze, Chloe? You know, it's kind of weird, knowing we won't see Arcadia Bay again for a long time to come. I'm actually feeling quite anxious myself, but let's go ahead and do this. This time, no one will stop us."

_"That hurt! But it's alright. You're looking great today, Rachel. Jeans and a shirt suit you. I told you so. Then again, you always look great in anything, even nothing."_

"Keep your eyes on the road, Price", Rachel laughed. "When we get to L.A. there will be plenty of time to ogle each other."

 _"You make it sound dirty and I like it, Rachel. Over there, look at that sign._ "Thank you for visiting Arcadia Bay, we hope to see you again soon." _We've done it, we left town! I'm almost going to miss this place. But it's a good thing we're going. We need a change of scenery, I'll still miss my mom, though."_

"I know what you are feeling, Chloe. I hope that one day I'll be able to love my parents again. I don't hate them, I will not deny them a place in my life, but too much has happened just to gloss over everything. I'm glad we're not going to be dependent on their money forever."

_"It should take us about two hours to reach Salem. And from there, we turn south. South to Los Angeles. Our dream, Rachel. I just hope it's at least half as good as I imagine it to be. And I can't wait to see Spidermax again. She knows we should be arriving tomorrow evening."_

* * *

_"Shall we stop here for a moment, Rach? I could really use a coffee and a bite to eat."_

"Let's stretch our legs for a few moments, Chloe. Where are we? Ah, I see, that place over there is called Cottage Grove. That means we're halfway to the California state border. Are those the sandwiches your mom made?"

_"Yes, they are. Hmmm… tasty, mom always makes the best sandwiches. You want one? I'll give you one if you give me a coffee. Nice. Thanks Rachel. I feel really zen now."_

"Just you and me here, C. It's so peaceful out here. We haven't encountered much traffic yet, that's quite surprising. It'll probably start getting busier on the road later in the afternoon. And this autumn sun feels good on my face."

_"You've really got your tan back, Rachel. Looking healthy again, beautiful as always. I just want to spend this moment looking at you. You're a survivor, and I'm your not-so-secret admirer."_

"Stop, Chloe. You are making me blush. Is that not supposed to be the other way around? Never mind, you are making me laugh. And I'm so happy that you're finally getting more confident around me."

_"Yeah. You know, I'm thinking, we're still teenagers, Rachel. Though it doesn't feel that way anymore, does it? We've been through so much. Next year will mark the start of a new decade for both of us."_

"As far as I'm concerned, Chloe, we're starting that new era now. And I think we should get back to the truck, as much as I love hanging out with you in the middle of nowhere, we are burning daylight."

_"You're right, Rach. I'll put this stuff in the trashcan, and let's go."_

* * *

The time went by very fast. Just before five o'clock in the afternoon, Rachel suddenly got excited. There stood a slightly dilapidated sign next to the highway. In clear yellow letters on a blue background it said "Welcome to California".

"Look, Chloe. We just entered California. It's been a while since I've been here."

_"I've never been to California, Rachel. Well technically I have been here, when mom was pregnant with me and dad took her to see San Francisco. But this is the very first time I've ever seen California. And we need to stop at the next fuel station, we're running a little low. This clunker can only do about four hundred miles on a full tank, even with the new tires."_

"We can try to make a few calls when we stop. Let our families know we're doing fine, so far. Or shall we leave it at text messages?"

_"I'm definitely going to text Mighty Max, just to let her know we're in the same state she is in, literally. I'm going to send a picture of us both. Remind me when we stop for fuel, Rachel. We still have enough left for another thirty miles or so."_

"We're right on schedule, if I am not mistaken. Maybe a few miles short of where we were supposed to be, but nothing we can't overcome. You're a good driver, Chloe. I feel very safe with you at the wheel. Look, there's the fuel station. And there's quite a few cars ahead of us in line. Where did they come from, all of a sudden? Guess we'll have to wait our turn for fuel."

_"I don't intend to stop here for long, Rach. Just to fill-er-up, maybe drink some coffee, make that picture for Max-a-roon, and then we'll hit the road again. We need to do at least another eighty miles today, and it's getting quite late already."_

After waiting a few minutes for other cars to take their turn, Chloe parked her truck next to the available fuel pump. She got out of the truck and got ready to pump it full of the badly needed fuel. A young man approached Chloe, she estimated him to be in his mid-20s. He opened a conversation.

"Good afternoon, miss. I hope you don't mind me saying it, but imagine seeing such a fine-looking girl here driving a truck like this. And your friend looks alright too. Can I help you with anything?"

 _"No thank you, we're fine"_ , Chloe answered. _"You work here, right? Don't worry about us, I know how to do this, I've done it quite a few times before."_

"My name is Johnny. I was just thinking, me and a few friends are having this party tonight. Location is a small place called Grenada, which is about twenty miles from here. When I saw you two, I just had to come and ask if you wanted to join us. Drinks would be free, of course. And we have some real good you-know-what available, too. You'd be our guests. May I ask your names?"

 _"Well, listen Johnny"_ , Chloe said. _"Me and my girlfriend are on our way south. We have a long way to go, and we can't make it to your party. My name is Thelma, and my girlfriend here, that's Louise."_

Rachel overheard Chloe talking, and had to hold her hands before her face to prevent bursting out in laughter.

The young man's demeanor visibly changed. "You're making fun of me? Well, if you two bitches are going to react like that, after being offered an evening of free partying, then why don't you both go screw yourselves?"

Chloe got angry, and within no time she was in a shouting match with the young man. It started drawing the attention of the other motorists, and not much later an older man emerged from the fuel station's main building. "What's going on here, Johnny?"

"Nothing, uncle. It was just a friendly conversation between me and this young lady here."

"Is that true, miss?"

 _"Hella no"_ , Chloe answered. _"He was insulting me and my girlfriend. All because we don't care for this supposed party he tried to invite us to."_

"You lying whore."

"Right. Johnny, go back inside, now. I'm very sorry about this, miss. I'll tell you what, I'll let you have a full tank for twenty bucks, with some free coffee thrown in for you and your girlfriend, my compliments. My nephew was out of line. He does these things, unfortunately."

 _"Thank you very much, sir. We appreciate that"_ , Chloe replied. The older man went back inside the building and brought two coffees to go, and handed them to Chloe, who passed them on to Rachel.

"Safe travels, miss. And don't worry about Johnny, I'll talk to him."

Not much later, Chloe and Rachel were back on the road.

* * *

"Did he honestly try to hit on us, Chloe?"

_"I think he did. You heard what he said, Rach. I may not be as street smart as some people, but I'm smart enough to figure out what he meant. I think that we were supposed to be the entertainment at that party he talked about. If there was a party, to begin with. Maybe he wanted to lure us to some remote place and try his psycho-killer routine on us, or something?"_

"That's dark, Chloe. And appropriate. Oh wait. We forgot something. Were we not supposed to text our families? And we didn't make a picture for Max either. I'll make one of us right now. Just keep driving, Chloe, I'll do the rest. *CLICK* There. That's a nice one, I'll send it to Max immediately. I'll also text your mom and my dad that we're doing alright."

_"Great, thanks. Can't believe we forgot all about that. All because of that douchebag. Imagine that, the first Californian to introduce himself to us by name turns out to be a giant asshole. I hope that's not going to be par for the course, Rach."_

"I don't think it will be. But it would be wise if we both kept our cool. I know that guy was to blame, but I didn't like you shouting at him. We need to be smarter, Chloe."

 _"_ _Are you suggesting I'm not smart, miss Amber? That's going to cost you. Let's see. The going rate for that is a kiss. Right now, please."_

Rachel leaned over and smooched Chloe on her right cheek. "If that's what you're going to ask for, I think that's an incentive to keep saying it over and over again", Rachel said with a huge smirk on her face.

 _"_ _Oh, shut up you dork"_ , Chloe replied with a laugh of her own. _"And thinking back about what douchebag Johnny said, he actually had an interesting idea. He told us to go screw ourselves."_

"You're getting serious now, Thelma Price. We're not in L.A. yet."

Chloe looked to her right and saw Rachel wink at her. She started swooning. It took about twenty seconds for Chloe to regain her full concentration.

 _"_ _Hey Rach, can you check where we are? How far is it to Red Bluff?"_

"Fifty miles, still. That's less than an hour. I'll start looking for the address of that motel we saw on the map."

* * *

"Here it is, Chloe. Prairie View Motel. Who do you think named it like that?"

 _"_ _Rachel, I'm just glad it isn't called the Motel California, or the Bates Motel. Let's park the truck and take our stuff with us. See if they still have a room available, because I sure as hell don't want to drive another mile tonight. I'm tired. It's past seven o'clock."_

Chloe and Rachel entered the small office located near the car park.

"Hello, young ladies. Welcome to Prairie View Motel, Red Bluff."

Rachel started to talk to the elderly man who greeted them. "Hello to you too. We're hoping you still have a room available for the two of us? One with a bath, or at least a shower?"

"You're lucky, yes we do. I can put you in room number 16. I think you'll find it is a nice room. That'll be $ 49.99 for the night."

"There you go. Can my girlfriend and I get something to eat around here?"

"Yes, you can, actually. If you hurry, you might still be able to get a burger or a pizza from our small diner. It's right around the corner."

"Hey Chloe, if you get us a pizza, I'll take our stuff to our room."

 _"_ _Sure, Rach. I'll see you in a moment. Don't forget to leave the door open for me."_

Not much later, Chloe entered the motel room. After she put the pizza and the cokes on the table, she closed the door and locked it from the inside.

* * *

_"_ _It is a bit dark around here, isn't it, Rachel? Even with all the lights in this room on. This place really gives off that whole_ "horror movie motel" _feeling. But enough talk, let's eat, I'm starving."_

"This pizza actually tastes pretty good, C. You made a good choice. Oh, come on, please don't slurp your coke like that. I'm going to have to teach you to eat and drink like a lady."

 _"_ _I don't want to be a lady, Rach. I want to be yours. But if you want, I'll do my best. Anything for you, and you know it."_

"I like that, Chloe. I'm kind of full, now. How are we doing in terms of money? Still enough for fuel?"

 _"_ _We're still doing fine, Rachel. We have enough money to last the whole day, tomorrow. What about those bank accounts your dad set up for us?"_

"I got the debit cards right here, I think we still need to activate them. But that can wait. It's good to know we won't have to worry about money in the short term. If we spend wisely, we could last quite some time. And if we manage to get jobs, we'll certainly be alright."

 _"_ _I almost forgot about that. I still have that job application pending. We'll find out soon. It's time to relax. And look! My mom texted us that she's very happy to hear we're doing well. Also, Max texted us back, she will try to be there tomorrow evening, if we give her a heads up about our arrival time."_

"That's really great, Chloe. But let me have your attention now. I have an idea. I saw the bathtub. We could soak for a while, if you want. It seems to be big enough for us both. Shall I fill it up?"

_"Yes please, Rach, that is a really good idea."_

Chloe suddenly started grasping her own chest.

 _"Oh no, not now, not this again_ _… breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Alright... there, I'm getting better at handling this. Sorry Rachel, I didn't want that to happen at this moment..."_

"Don't apologize for that, ever. You beat it again, we will overcome it all. I love you Chloe. I'll be right back. And we'll have a nice, steamy, foamy bath. I think I know how to relax you. Let's use all the soap!"

* * *

_"_ _This is the life, Rachel. Hot water, foam, and you. Do you like me holding you like this?"_

"It's perfect, Chloe. My head resting on your shoulder, your arms around me, all this foam, hot water. I think I'm in heaven, because there's an angel right here with me. One most beautiful and precious."

_"You're going to keep me blushing all evening, Rach. And… it's been… ummm… quite the three years, right?"_

"You mean, since our first date? I'd love to go to another Firewalk concert with you. And our first kiss wasn't bad either. Remember that evening after the play?"

 _"_ _Not bad? It's that how you call it? It was like, the greatest thing that had ever happened in my life, up to that point. I was already hopelessly in love with you. Yes, I'm on repeat here. More than a friendship, more than a crush. When our lips touched for the first time, it was paradise on earth. I wish we could live that moment over and over again, I mean without what happened after."_

"We can live it whenever we want. Look at me, Chloe. I desire it also. Take me back, right now."

Chloe nervously pressed her lips against Rachel's, and soon enough their tongues touched as well. A few minutes of bliss passed slowly.

 _"_ _That was… hot, Rachel. I think I'm getting addicted to this. Your lips taste better than ever."_

"Not as good as yours, miss Price. It's still kind of weird, isn't it? We hung out at the junkyard so often, and so long, and we never did more than sunbathe in our bikinis. I mean, besides sleeping together, but always clothed, because we were afraid somebody might walk in on us."

 _"_ _Rachel, I still liked it when we made out. I mean, we don't need to be naked for that, right?"_

"Well, we're naked now, aren't we? I enjoyed all our moments together at the junkyard. And I'm so sorry for abandoning you there."

 _"_ _No Rach, I don't want to talk about that now. You had it worse than me. I prefer to talk about the time after you woke up in the hospital."_

"I was so happy to see you again, Chloe. And even happier that you agreed to let me start my recovery in your house. I mean, your mom's house. Just being able to sleep next to you, once again, was already something that helped me so much. I felt so safe in your arms, just like now. Even when I have nightmares, you are always there for me."

 _"_ _And you've always been there for me, whenever I have one of my anxiety attacks. Like just now at the table, Rachel. And this, our first real bath together."_

"We can stay in here for at least another hour, maybe two. No one can deny us this. I think of that morning after we told our parents that we had definitively decided to go to Los Angeles. The idea just popped into my head. A shower with you, and it was something else, almost a transcendent experience, and I almost had to drag you in."

 _"I remember that I could hardly breathe._ _And once we were in the shower, all we really did was soap each other up. But it was still hella amazing. And it was the first time we ever saw each other… well… naked I guess. I was never more nervous than at that moment. Afterwards, I just wanted to tell everyone that I had showered with Rachel Amber. Make them all jealous. And then we did that a few times more. And now this. Another step."_

"You can soap me up right now, make them more jealous. I love that smile on your face, and at the same time, that blush, so cute. You are so beautiful, Chloe. And I forbid you to deny it."

 _"You're still more beautiful than me. And_ _I'm glad we brought our sponge. I'm just gonna… do it… soap you up, now that I have you here. I must be the luckiest girl in the world. You want more soap? More hot water? Another kiss, maybe? Or something more?"_

"This feels really good, Chloe. I love how you are so tender, and you handle that sponge well. They lied, you're not Clumsy Chloe, you're Perfect Price. And your fingers feel so good against my skin. You want me to return the favor?"

 _"_ _You can soap me up too, Rach. You want the sponge? Come get it. Oh look, there's an otter in my water. And she's all mine. There, splish, splash. Kiss me some more, now, my lips are starving."_

"Any time, future Mrs. Amber. What do you think, Chloe? Save it?"

 _"Save it,_ _I think we should. When we get to Los Angeles, and we're settled in, soon I hope, we will screw each other's brains out, Rachel. There, I said it, I know it doesn't sound romantic saying it that way, but I want it, and I want you. Only you."_

"So direct. I love you, Chloe Price. I'm looking forward to it. It'll be awkward, I guess, but that does not matter. Speaking of romance, we should stop talking and just... make out. Let me taste your lips, and your tongue. Let me touch your skin. Let me feel your body against mine. And let's anticipate the things we will do in the future. I wish we could stay in this bath forever. Come to me now, my loyal spirit."

_"Oh Rach, you truly are a leo. Hella yes!"_


	14. Road (Part II)

**Road (Part II)**

(Flashback: early autumn, 2013, continued)

Chloe and Rachel were fast asleep. Outside, birds were making their usual morning sounds. Peace and tranquility seemed to reign supreme.

Then suddenly, the alarm on Chloe's cellphone went off. Chloe was barely awake when she tried to buy herself and Rachel another five minutes in bed by hitting the snooze option on the screen. She missed, and the phone dropped on the floor, causing Chloe to curse her luck.

Chloe got out of bed, and picked the phone up. She suddenly realized it was almost seven o'clock in the morning. There was no time to lose. The pair had another five hundred miles to cover that day. Five hundred miles, to their new apartment in Los Angeles. It was closer than ever before.

_"_ _Wake up Rachel, we have to go, like now. I accidentally set the alarm for seven o'clock rather than six. Maybe we can grab a quick coffee and a sandwich, but we will need all day to get to Los Angeles. The traffic in the city could be really bad, I think."_

"I'm still thinking about last night, Chloe. It felt so good. You were so tender. Our bodies touching. But you're right, we need to hurry now. We can't keep our new life waiting, can we?"

Within thirty minutes the pair had left their motel room, eaten a sandwich at the small diner, taken a coffee to go, dropped off the key at the administrator's office and gotten back on the road.

_"_ _That was intense, Rachel. We're an hour behind schedule, and in this truck, we're not likely to be able to regain it. I can try pushing a little harder but I don't want to risk breaking the engine, or something. Then again, I can't wait to get to L.A. so we'll just have to figure out what we need to do."_

"We'll have to remember to call the landlord, and Max, in case we're going to be late. I hope today's drive will be a little less eventful than yesterday. I mean in terms of meeting any more people like douchebag Johnny."

_"_ _He's not an easy one to forget, I suppose. Hah! Look, Rachel, that community over there is called Maxwell. All I can say is, I hope Max is well. You should text her, Rach."_

"I love that weird looking grin on your face, my dear Chloe. And I'm texting her now. Are… you… Maxwell? Let's see if she gets it!"

_"_ _This is fun, Amber. Another fifty miles and we'll pass by Sacramento. While you are busy texting anyway, can you let my mom know where we are?"_

* * *

_"_ _I'm so hungry. We're gonna stop at the next fuel station, Rachel, and get fuel for the truck and something to eat for ourselves. We haven't eaten anything in hours, and I'm thirsty too. Do we still have some water left?"_

"This is the last. Here Chloe, you need it. Take it all, I'll be fine. How do you feel? Tired, yet?"

_"_ _A little bit maybe. But since you are not allowed to drive, I'm gonna have to keep doing it. Look, that sign says there's a fuel station a few miles from here."_

Not much later Chloe had refueled the truck and both her and Rachel were sitting in the burger restaurant right behind the fuel station.

"I'm not really supposed to be eating food like this, but I think I can take a two-day break from my diet, Chloe."

_"_ _I need this burger, Rachel. I mean, I love doing the same diet you are doing, but from time to time I have to grab myself a snack. Especially because we stopped doing drugs and stuff, which is a good thing. I miss mom's cooking already, but this burger isn't too bad."_

"Your cooking wasn't so bad either, C. You and your mom worked together really well those last weeks in Arcadia Bay. And I'm glad you let me help occasionally. It was fun with you and my future mother-in-law."

_"_ _Rach, I needed to practice. Remember about my potential job? Can't be a waitress at some diner if you can't cook at all. Mom taught me so much in such a short time. It was awesome to learn from her and just talk, you know, talk without arguing."_

"I'm still trying to get used to the idea that you would even consider such a job, Chloe. But I like the idea. I'm still looking for something myself. Perhaps we can look together for something that I can do once we are settled in? Maybe we can even work at the same place? I don't want to be sitting around anymore, doing nothing. I don't want to feel useless anymore."

_"_ _Hold on right there, Rachel. Don't do that to yourself. I need you with me on all of this. You were not useless, you were… no… you are still recovering from what happened to you, you were in no condition to work. And I won't let you if it's not good for you."_

"I realize that. And thank you Chloe. But we still have to have a serious talk, recovery or not. There are some things that I need to tell you, things we haven't discussed yet. We've skirted around certain issues for a while. We have talked a lot but I want us to start in L.A. with a clean slate, as much as possible."

_"_ _It'll have to be later this week, miss A. I'm not exactly in the mood for serious talks right now. I don't want to avoid them, but getting us to L.A. is the priority now. I've waited so long for this. Please don't take this the wrong way."_

"Of course, Chloe. I understand. I'm glad you're open to the idea, that's all that matters. And I think we should get back to the truck, if we still want to make it on time."

* * *

_"_ _Oh no. Rachel, look at that, the engine has overheated. I'm gonna have to pull over."_

Chloe stopped the truck at the very next opportunity, a picnic spot near Pyramid Lake. She looked under the hood, and almost immediately saw that the engine coolant had completely run out.

_"_ _It was such a bad idea to try and make up for the lost time this morning, Rachel. I pushed the truck too hard, even when I said I wouldn't. Now we have a leaking radiator, and all the coolant is gone. Fuck, we don't have any spare coolant with us. We should look around for other people who might be able to help us. There are cars parked right over there, let's head that way."_

"We're less than fifty miles away from our goal, Chloe, our apartment. We could be there in an hour and a bit, depending on the traffic. It's half past eight now. If we find help quickly, we could still make it there before ten o'clock."

_"_ _Call the landlord, Rach. He needs to know we're gonna be late. And text Maximus Prime, let her know we'll call her in the morning. Damn, I was so looking forward to seeing her tonight. But she can't wait around our apartment forever, UCLA might not be far away, but she still needs to get back to her room safely."_

"I'll do that. And another thing, Chloe. Do you know where we are? I mean, do you realize where we are?"

Chloe looked at Rachel and wondered what she was talking about. Of course Chloe knew where they were, Pyramid Lake, that's where. Stuck with an overheated engine, a leaking radiator and no coolant.

"Los Angeles County, Chloe. This place here is already part of Los Angeles County. We are in Los Angeles County, right now. I mean, we're not home yet, but in a sense, we already made it. Should we celebrate?"

_"_ _You can kiss me if you want, Rach. I mean, anytime."_

Chloe just loved kissing Rachel. With her, there was always a chance that even the slightest kiss could turn into wild burning desire, and lengthy make out sessions, even in public. There was something special about this girl who seemed to be able to make Chloe do almost anything. They embraced tightly, and let themselves go for a few minutes.

"That was… something else… again… Chloe, I'll never get enough of it."

_"_ _Same here, miss A. Let me catch my breath. Better. Look, there's someone there. Let's ask them if they can help."_

Chloe and Rachel walked over to a couple sitting at one of the tables near the lake. Chloe addressed them.

_"_ _Excuse me. We don't mean to intrude or anything, but we got an overheated engine and were wondering if you had any coolant with you? We can pay for it, if needed."_

"I'm very sorry, miss", the man said. "I don't think we have any coolant with us. And also, I think that people like you shouldn't be in public doing what you did, even if there are no children around here right now."

 _"_ _What's that supposed to mean"_ , Chloe said. _"Doing what? What are you talking about?"_

"We are very accepting. But that doesn't mean we approve of it. You really should keep that same sex stuff to yourself. Do what you want in your own house, but don't make out in public, it's offensive, and it sets a bad example."

_"_ _Seriously, what the fuck? How exactly is it offensive for two consenting adults to kiss each other? How is it a bad thing to show people that you are in love?"_

Chloe did her best to try and keep her composure, because she knew Rachel was watching her. And she didn't want the situation to devolve into yet another shouting match. But to Rachel it was very clear that Chloe would not be able to keep that pretense up for much longer. She took Chloe's hand and pulled her away from the scene.

"Let's go, C. Don't mind them. And I'm sorry. We'll run into many nice people, I promise. Don't let those two, or yesterday's douchebag Johnny, cloud your view of California. I mean, this is about the best state you and I could live in. Imagine if the two of us were from rural Alabama or Kentucky, we'd have to keep our love secret, or get out. But we have to remember, not everyone is entirely accepting of people like us, even here."

_"_ _I get it, Rachel. But we still got that coolant problem. Though there might be a solution. We could use some water from the lake. It's risky, though. With water, the boiling point will be lower, and it might corrode the inside of the engine and destroy the water pump. That's what David taught me. But I don't want to wait around for some emergency service. I mean, we could try and call, but how long would it take?"_

"I agree, Chloe. And it's really hot how you know so much about car engines. All the guys are going to be jealous of me, that you're with me and not them. You're hella smart. If you get the water, I'll call the landlord."

* * *

_"_ _Rachel, we've left the I-5 S. We were driving on it since Salem, almost all the way from up north to here. This road, the I-405 S will take us to West Los Angeles, home. But tell me, Rach, Hollywood? Bel Air? Beverly Hills? Santa Monica? I still can't believe we're going to live near those places. Can we even afford it?"_

"Chloe, I showed you the figures. We won't be living in the areas you mention, just near them. I think we can afford the rent, long term. We've got the Blackwell fund, and my dad prepaid our rent until the end of next year. We have some time to figure things out, and establish ourselves, find jobs, everything. And we have no debts, remember?"

_"_ _I know, I know. Just my insecurities coming to the surface, I suppose. I mean… this city… it might overwhelm me. I'm not street smart, Rach. I'm going to have to learn so much. This is not Arcadia Bay, and even there I struggled. I'm glad you're with me, though. And you know, we're about to drive past UCLA. Max is likely back there already. If it weren't so late, I'd go over and visit her right now."_

"It's really a shame that we couldn't make it on time. At least the landlord said he'd be waiting for us. It's past ten o'clock already. The only real advantage is that there are no traffic jams in the city at this hour."

_"_ _We can visit Max anytime, or have her visit us. It's only a few miles away from our place. But she has classes tomorrow, I understand she couldn't wait for us. Did she respond to your text message?"_

"She did, actually", Rachel said. "Just a few minutes ago she sent this. _"If you're Chloe to be late, I promise I will try not to Rach when we next meet"_. Don't get mad, Chloe, but she sent a lot of emojis with that text. I have to admit, it's funny."

_"_ _Maxipad's going to hear about that. You don't mess with Chloe Price."_

Chloe tried to deadpan when she was saying it, but ended up laughing along with Rachel. The two continued some random small talk until suddenly Rachel started shouting excitedly to Chloe.

"It's here! Stop here, Chloe! Stop the truck! This is the apartment building where we are going to live! And there, an empty parking spot!"

* * *

_"_ _Holy shit, Rachel. Hold my hand, I'm seriously tripping balls now. Do we have all our things?"_

"Just a moment, angel. I'm trying to call the landlord."

_"_ _Alright, sorry to interrupt."_

"He's coming down, our apartment is on the third floor. Look, I think that's him."

A middle-aged man approached Chloe and Rachel. "Excuse me, my name is Adam Richardson, and I'm the owner of this building. I'm looking for miss Rachel Amber, James Amber's daughter?"

"That's me. And this is my girlfriend, Chloe Price."

"Alright. Welcome to Los Angeles. If you two ladies will follow me. Your father, James Amber, has instructed me to show you the apartment. You'll be happy to know that we have received the payment for the rent, enough to cover the rest of this year, and all of 2014 as well. Your father must consider you to be really special if he's willing to do such a thing for you."

"You don't know half of it. But Chloe and I are happy to be here."

"You two came all the way from Oregon, if I understood correctly. At least, that's what your father told me. I used to go to school with him, you know. But ultimately, a legal career was not for me."

"It's cool that you know my dad. And this here is our apartment?"

"That's right, number 359. Do you want me to open it or does either of you want to do it?"

Chloe started whispering to Rachel. _"You do it, Rachel, because I'm way too nervous. I might drop the key."_

Rachel then took the key from Adam Richardson, and proceeded to open the door. "Let's go inside, Chloe. Take my hand."

"As you can see, ladies, this is the living room. I personally think it looks really good, but if you want to redecorate, feel free to do so, as long as you stay within the terms of the lease agreement."

_"_ _No way, Rachel. This is a fuckin' palace. I can't believe it. It's like… you know… are we princesses now?"_

"The apartment is not that big, but it does look nice, I agree", Rachel laughed. "It will suit us very well."

"I'm glad you two like it", Adam Richardson said. "I'll show you where everything else is. The kitchen, the bathroom, the toilet, the bedroom and a spare room you could use for a study or a guest room if you like."

* * *

Near half past eleven Adam Richardson left the apartment, leaving Chloe and Rachel alone there for the first time.

_"_ _The pictures didn't do this place justice. It's amazing, Rachel. There's a few things I would change, but overall I'm overwhelmed."_

"And it's our home now, Chloe. You realize that? You and me? We have a lot to arrange in the coming days, that's true, but we are here. I'm sorry I made you wait three years."

_"_ _Not now, Rachel. Instead, look at this! The bath looks even better than the one in the motel, we'll have a lot of fun in it. And we also got the bed we wanted. I mean, I'll miss my old bed, for sure, but I think this one will serve us really well. But can I sleep on the left side? I'm kind of used to that."_

"Is that all we're going to do on that bed? Sleep? I thought you were thinking of certain other things too."

_"_ _Oh, hella yes, Rachel. But now, I'm so fucking tired. I just hope both of us can sleep peacefully here, this first night. I'm still trying not to freak out about all of this."_

"You're right, Chloe. We should go to sleep. But it would make me feel better if you had your arms around me. I need to feel you."

* * *

**(Present time: 2019, continued)**

Chloe, Rachel and Max returned to the Amber apartment after spending much of the day at the Santa Monica pier.

"You two are still living here, in this apartment, after all these years. And I'm so glad to be with you, whenever I can", Max said. "I remember when I first came to visit. It was a week after the two of you arrived in Los Angeles."

 _"_ _We couldn't make it on time, Max"_ , Chloe said. _"I guess we made you wait. I'm still sorry about it."_

"That's alright, Chloe. I was happy that you and Rachel had made it. And I guess that it gave you the opportunity to get settled in".

"That's true, Max. Chloe and I had a lot to do. But we were so happy to see you. Chloe even forgot about mentioning your text message, the one you sent as a reply to our _Maxwell_ text."

_"_ _I'm not gonna say it, Rachel. Max knows how I feel about emojis. But I've said that often enough. Max, when did you say your next exhibition was?"_

"Next week. I'm in a project with someone you might remember, Victoria Chase. Maybe I forgot to mention that? It's really interesting to work with her, our styles are different, but complementary. And I don't deny that it helps that her father has a publishing company. We're getting some nice reviews already.

Kate Marsh is coming over too, Victoria is busy helping her with another children's book. I think it's their fourth collaboration. Kate's probably the most famous of us all, right now. Everyone loves her books. And Victoria has changed, a lot. Or maybe she was always like she is now, and the events of the past merely removed her shell. I hereby invite both of you to visit our exhibition."

_"_ _Absolutely. Rachel and I will come to see your latest Max-o-rama, I'm looking forward to it."_

All three young women laughed hard at Chloe's pun for Max's work. Life seemed to be smiling at all of them.


	15. Truth

**Truth**

(Los Angeles: late 2013)

The next morning Rachel was the first of the two to wake up. She looked at the still sleeping Chloe and smiled. There was a lot to do that day. Groceries, filling in an online census form, activating their debit cards, unpacking belongings that were still boxed and many more things.

They would contact Max and schedule her visit to the Amber apartment, call their parents and inform them they had arrived safely, try to meet the neighbors, make an appointment with a physical therapist for Rachel and contact the office of the new lawyer Rachel's father had hired to continue her preparation for the trial against Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott.

It was going to be very busy. But one thing above all was on Rachel's mind. She and Chloe had been avoiding it for some time. Sure, they'd talked to each other a lot since Rachel had started her recovery in the Price residence, and also during the therapy sessions with Mrs. Grant, but some things had still gone unspoken.

Rachel knew that it was not something either she or Chloe looked forward to. But as she had promised Chloe, Los Angeles was supposed to be a new life for them, and that had to start with a clean slate. That meant that Rachel had to talk about uncomfortable things to Chloe. Things she wished she didn't have to mention, things she wished she could forget about but knew she could not leave unsaid.

Rachel decided to pop out of the apartment for a quick visit to the nearby supermarket and a few other stores. By the time she got back, Chloe was up and was making tea.

"Hey, good morning Chloe. I got us some groceries already. We still have some cash, but we'll need to activate those bank cards soon."

_"Yeah, sure. How was your night, Rachel? I slept pretty well, knowing there is an angel beside me."_

"Not bad, C. I can't even remember if I had a dream or not, except that you are my dream, of course."

_"Please tell me you brought some crackers, Rach, or bread, I'm hungry and I want to eat."_

"I think I have most of the essentials. You go sit at the table, I'll sort the groceries out. Let's see what we can use right now."

Not much later, Chloe and Rachel were eating breakfast, and were discussing their plans for the rest of the day.

_"I hate to say it, Rachel, but I do miss my mom at moments like this. Breakfast in the morning used to be so easy. Now we have to do it ourselves. But your choice of groceries was good. What do we have to do next? There's so much to do, we should save some of our tasks for tomorrow and maybe relax a bit this evening?"_

"Chloe, we still have some important things to talk about, remember? I want us to start our lives here without secrets. There are things I have to tell you, things about me that you don't know yet."

_"You sound pretty serious, Rachel. Alright, we can talk about it today. Let's just get it out of the way, shall we?"_

Rachel sighed audibly, she was not looking forward to it at all. And the outcome of their talk might intervene with her other plans for the evening, would it not be better to postpone? The autumn rain that started to fall also didn't help her mood. And what was Chloe thinking about? So far, their California days had meant meeting a douchebag at a fuel station, meeting a couple near Pyramid Lake that had reminded them not everyone was entirely gay-friendly, and now the rain seemed intent on ruining the first day of their dream.

* * *

Later that day, in the afternoon, Chloe was sitting on the couch drinking some coffee, hearing shards of a conversation Rachel was having on the phone with her father. Rachel's tone seemed cordial enough, and Chloe was wondering what it was that Rachel wanted to bring up. The only thing Chloe knew for sure, is that Rachel wanted to talk about what had happened during the time she had stood Chloe up at the junkyard. It was surely not going to be the most comfortable talk they'd ever had. But it had to be done, and Chloe would listen to what Rachel had to say.

"Hey Chloe", Rachel said when she returned to the couch after finishing the conversation with her father. "My father was wondering if we needed more money. I said I'd discuss it with you."

_"That's fine, Rachel. But I thought we weren't going to take much more of his money?"_

"Never say never, Chloe. There are other things too. Have you noticed how nice my parents have been since I woke up in the hospital?"

_"Yeah, I have, is something wrong? I don't see anything strange about it. Surely they owe you after everything that happened?"_

"It's not that, Chloe. My father won't say it, because he feels so guilty over what happened to me, but he's disappointed. His perfect daughter turned out to be not so perfect. It hurt him to find out that I was addicted to drugs. He hated that I skipped school, that I refused to return home after his lies, and that I spent so much time at a junkyard in the company of a certain rebel delinquent. Back then he blamed you for my addiction."

_"He certainly does a good job hiding it from me. I didn't really notice anything, Rachel. What's he thinking now?"_

"You will probably never notice anything, Chloe. He's good at hiding it. He will likely never do anything to try and interfere with our relationship, because he can see that you're the light of my life. Another thing, he's upset that everything that has happened to us has likely cost him a position as a Federal prosecutor. He worked so hard for that his whole life, and now he's been told he will likely not be nominated, Washington doesn't want the scrutiny.

Also, when we announced our engagement, it shocked him. To this day, he is wondering how he could have possibly failed to notice that I was into girls. He was always talking about how he would love to see me bring a boyfriend home, and one day I'd marry someone and have children. But then again, it took _me_ a while before I had figured out who I really was, and that wouldn't have happened without you. You're the first real friend I've ever had, Chloe. More than a friend. My fiancée and the love of my life."

Chloe could see that Rachel was not enjoying the conversation. She put her right hand on Rachel's left shoulder. _"It's alright, Rach. We can work this out."_

"No Chloe, it's not alright. You are the first person that has ever wanted to spend time with me for who I really am, and not the act I played in school. Every so many years, our family moved from city to city, from town to town, causing me to lose nearly everyone I knew time and again. I was so lonely, and I was struggling with my sexuality and my identity. I guess that's part of the reason I decided to create a fake persona. Someone that would be popular, hang out with all the guys, and be everything to everyone, hiding who I really was. And once we got to Arcadia Bay, I had perfected the act, I was really good at it. It was easy to get what I wanted from most people. Even you."

_"I never got that vibe from you, Rachel. You seemed pretty real to me when you showed up at the Firewalk concert. I admit I started crushing on the image of you as perfection, but I fell in love with who you really are. I know who you really are, I've always known. Rachel, you're not a bad person. Don't talk yourself into the ground."_

"I'm so glad to hear you say that, Chloe. But there are things you don't know. Things I need to tell you, right now. As I said, when we were hanging out together at the junkyard, you were my only friend. I felt so good when I was with you. And yet still, for some reason, some stupid reason, I started lying to you. Lying over the reasons for my ever more frequent absence."

Chloe didn't really know what to say or how to react. She felt uneasy, because it was obvious that Rachel was struggling to tell her tale, and there was clearly more to come. Rachel was in tears, and seemed to be shivering, as if she was in rehab, denied the drugs she had been taking for so long.

"I was losing my mind, Chloe. I wandered around for hours on end, with no purpose, no goal, nothing. The only thing I had was drugs. Ever more drugs. They helped me forget all the bad things in my life, such as my father's lies, but unfortunately they also caused me to forget the one good thing that I had, you.

And it gets worse. Way worse. In the beginning, it was just lies. Trying to hide my drug use from you. Only showing up when I thought I was relatively clean and you wouldn't notice. But by late 2011, it wasn't just lies anymore. Chloe, I wish I didn't have to say this, but I have to tell you. I started cheating on you."

Chloe had suspected something was up, not long after the conversation had started. But she had not been prepared for this. Chloe managed to keep her composure, but Rachel imagined she could detect a hint of disappointment on Chloe's face. Or maybe more than just a hint. Rachel was afraid what Chloe would say.

 _"Tell me what happened, Rachel"_ , Chloe said. _"I need to know."_

"I was buying drugs with the money I kept stealing from my father. Money was the only reason I returned to their home, from time to time. It was easy to steal from them. Lying was easy too, I suppose. In that respect, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. I learned it from the best, my parents. As for the drugs, in Arcadia Bay, when you needed some, you would go see Frank Bowers".

Chloe already knew that Rachel had hung out with Frank Bowers. But Chloe wondered if there was anything that had so far remained unsaid. Part of her wanted to stop the conversation, but she knew that it was necessary to hear Rachel out. She decided she would not make any judgement until Rachel had told her everything.

"One day, late 2011, I bought some weed and painkillers, and Frank struck up a conversation with me. It seemed innocent enough, and I guess I needed someone to listen to what I had to say. Frank and I talked about many things, including you. Frank wasn't sure what to think of you, but he told me you owed him money, and he didn't believe you'd ever be able to pay him back.

It was getting quite late that evening, and Frank offered to let me sleep in his bed. He crashed on his own couch as he didn't want to impose himself on me. He kept giving me freebies, and he seemed interested in me. He asked me if I would pose for photographs, in exchange for drugs, and I did. After a few days, I started getting used to being around him. I opened up to him about my feelings. Something I should have only ever done with you, Chloe. But I was far gone then, and was afraid how you would react.

My biological mother and Frank's partner Damon also showed up from time to time. They argued with Frank that it was time to expand their territory. I only saw Damon and Sera a few times, they eventually disappeared and we learned that they had been killed by other drug dealers. Frank and I grew closer after that. And because I kept taking more drugs, my biological mother's death hardly affected me at the time. I still find it difficult to have feelings about it.

I did keep meeting with you at the junkyard. We were running out of things to say to each other. You were trying to make me come with you, but I kept refusing. And afterwards, I would nearly always return to him, feeling guilty about lying to you. And one evening, when I was smoking some extra strong weed that he had brought with him, he started kissing me. I let him. That happened quite a few times over a period of several months. I knew he wanted to sleep with me, but something seemed to hold him back. I should have been repulsed by the idea, but somewhere deep down part of me wanted it. Part of me longed for it. Part of me was still trying to deny I was gay, old habits die slow, I suppose.

Anyway, he finally told me he was uncomfortable with the fact that I wasn't 18 years old yet. It was so weird, you wouldn't have expected that of someone like him. Plus, he told me that he suspected that I was only physically present in his RV, but mentally elsewhere. He confronted me about my feelings for you, and he got jealous of you.

He didn't like the situation, but knew he couldn't change it. And by that time, I realized he wasn't going to leave Arcadia Bay like I initially hoped he would. I probably would have gone with him if he had left. It was becoming obvious that it could never work out between him and me, and I was glad of it. You know what happened, early summer 2012? He told me to go back to you. I told him I didn't know if you even wanted me back, he said I would have to find a way. I swear to you, Chloe, I never did sleep with him, despite all the rumors."

Rachel was trying to avoid Chloe's gaze, but could not help realizing Chloe was looking at her. Rachel feared Chloe's disappointment.

_"I know you didn't sleep with him, Rachel. Frank told me as well. I believed him, and I believe you. Those rumors were spread by the same people who suggested you slept with everyone at Blackwell, which I also know isn't true."_

"When did he tell you? I haven't seen him at all, since that summer. Do you know where he went, Chloe?"

_"I guess I have a secret of my own. Not long after you were rescued, late one evening, he just showed up in the hospital, out of nowhere. We talked about stuff, and he said some of the same things you just told me. He made me swear never to tell you, but I have to now. He told me he was leaving Arcadia Bay forever, and that he had cancelled our debts. He told me to take good care of you."_

Rachel was amazed at hearing Chloe say those things. It was so unexpected. But Rachel knew she wasn't done yet. One more thing still had to be explained, the letter. The one she had left behind for Chloe to find.

"My mind still wasn't sound, and I ran into Nathan Prescott. Nathan suggested that he knew someone who could help me with my dream. That someone was Mark Jefferson. Nathan said Mark Jefferson had contacts in the fashion world, and could help me become a model. I met Mark Jefferson a few times, and I have to tell you, he's the best liar I've ever met, even better than my father. He completely fooled me. He charmed me into believing he could make me famous in a very short time.

I decided to take the plunge. I wrote you a letter, telling you about this wonderful person I had met. I meant wonderful in the sense of how I thought Mark Jefferson was going to help me. I bought his angle completely. The liar was being out-lied, I was no match for him.

I will probably never know why I decided to bet everything on this desperate plan, and why I didn't just go back to you and pour my heart out, like I should have. I figured one last betrayal could fix everything. I'd leave you for a while, get famous with Mark Jefferson's help, and come back for you to take you with me, out of Arcadia Bay. Not putting my trust in you was the worst thing I ever did. Can you ever forgive me?"

By now Chloe had also gotten emotional. Like Rachel, she had tears in her eyes. _"I'm not going to pretend, Rachel, the things you just told me have hurt me a lot. You lied to me, you betrayed me, you cheated on me and by doing these things you broke my heart."_

Rachel cast her eyes down at the floor, and Chloe could see she had a look of fear on her face. Rachel braced for the worst.

_"But I will say this now, Rachel. I'm so fucking proud of you for telling me all of this. I mean, I knew parts of it already, just not all of it. Ever since we started your recovery at my mother's house, and in essence, our joint rehab from drug use, I've learned that your love for me is real. I found out that I can trust you again, as I did before, especially now that you told me the truth. My heart was broken, back then. I will admit that it was very painful. But my heart has healed already. You helped put the pieces back together._

_You know how and why? Because I am in love with you, Rachel Amber. I asked you to marry me, didn't I? I did that because I want us to be together forever, because I'm so desperately in love with you and because I trust your love. What you just told me proves that you are for real about us starting over with a clean slate. I'm here with you, in Los Angeles, because I want that future you promised me. You are hella mine, Rachel, and I will never give you up. I will never abandon you, I don't hate you and I never will. I will always love you. I feel a lot better about us already."_

* * *

After saying that, Chloe put her arms around Rachel and started hugging her. She held Rachel close and tight for the better part of an hour, doing nothing but comforting her, kissing her on the cheek and in the neck, whispering encouragement and sweet nothings in her ear and caressing her hair. A smile started breaking through on Rachel's face, and Chloe smiled right back at her. Then, Chloe broke the silence that had dominated most of the period.

_"There's just one thing, Rachel. There is one punishment I feel you should undergo. I'm gonna put you on trial, now. The state of Chloe Elizabeth Price versus Rachel Dawn Amber. Judge Maximum Price presiding, the toughest and meanest judge this side of the Rio Grande."_

Rachel looked at Chloe with a sense of wonder. The woman of her dreams, the love of her life, and she didn't even seem remotely angry after all that was said. And what was this trial about?

_"Rachel Amber, you have been found guilty of capturing Chloe Price's heart. You have been found guilty of making Chloe Price wait three years for Los Angeles. And you have been found guilty of having denied Chloe Price one of her deepest desires."_

Chloe was silent for a moment, and Rachel was confused, her mind working overtime to start comprehending the situation. Judge Price continued.

_"Rachel Amber, for three years you and Chloe Price have kissed, made out, showered together, bathed together and slept together in the same bed. But one thing has never happened yet… you know of what I speak?"_

Suddenly it started dawning on Rachel. They had shared many levels of intimacy, but they had yet to go all the way, for a variety of reasons. But this couldn't be happening now, could it? Not after the talk that had just taken place? It seemed so weird, yet for some reason it held a certain attraction. Rachel had to admit to herself that it was also one of her deepest desires.

"I think I know, your honor."

_"Rachel Amber, the first part of your punishment is that you must convince me you really want it."_

Rachel was blushing very clearly. She started leaning towards Chloe. Carefully she pressed her lips against Chloe's. And as so often before, a kiss that started softly and tenderly soon escalated into burning passion. After a few minutes, Chloe interrupted the kiss and both women gasped for air. Rachel saw that Chloe was licking her own lips.

_"Yeah... that's convincing. You are mine, Rachel, and I will make you feel you are. It will be awkward at times, because all first times are awkward. You will wonder, why now? Why, after the talk we just had? But I say, screw it, precisely now. Because right now, I'm filled with raw energy, and I need to expend it all. And don't pretend you don't want it, you've been planning for this. I saw those bottles of wine you bought this morning. You go get them, we're gonna need them. I'll get my cigarettes."_

* * *

Chloe closed the bedroom door. Rachel set down the bottles of wine and two glasses.

Rachel was impressed with the confident Chloe that stood in front of her. The look of desire on Chloe's face was evident. Chloe switched off the lights and pushed Rachel onto the bed, then climbed on top of her. She looked Rachel in the eyes.

_"The second part of your punishment, Rachel, is that I get to be on top. And you can call this what you want, angry make-up sex, whatever. I say we screw each other's brains out, now. I don't wanna wait any longer, and from the look in your eyes, neither do you. There's no better moment than now. Let's wipe a bad memory and create a good one. And let's get that shirt of yours out of the way."_

As Chloe started unbuttoning Rachel's shirt, Rachel knew that she would never forget that night.

 _Take me now baby here as I am_  
_Pull me close, try and understand_  
_Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe_  
_Love is a banquet on which we feed_

 _Come on now try and understand_  
_The way I feel when I'm in your hands_  
_Take my hand come undercover_  
_They can't hurt you now,_  
_Can't hurt you now, can't hurt you now_

 _Because the night belongs to lovers_  
_Because the night belongs to lust_  
_Because the night belongs to lovers_  
_Because the night belongs to us_

 _Have I doubt when I'm alone_  
_Love is a ring, the telephone_  
_Love is an angel disguised as lust_  
_Here in our bed until the morning comes_

 _Come on now try and understand_  
_The way I feel under your command_  
_Take my hand as the sun descends_  
_They can't hurt you now,_  
_Can't hurt you now, can't hurt you now_

 _Because the night belongs to lovers_  
_Because the night belongs to lust_  
_Because the night belongs to lovers_  
_Because the night belongs to us_

 _With love we sleep_  
_With doubt the vicious circle_  
_Turns and burns_  
_Without you I cannot live_  
_Forgive, the yearning burning_  
_I believe it's time, too real to feel_  
_So touch me now, touch me now, touch me now_

 _Because tonight there are two lovers_  
_If we believe in the night we trust_  
_Because tonight belongs to lovers_  
_Because the night belongs to us_

* * *

**Credits**

"Truth" was inspired by the story "The talk that never happened" by TonightAppearance, which can be found here: <http://archiveofourown.org/works/12746970>

The lyrics to the featured version of the song "Because the night" belong to Patti Smith.


	16. Club

**Club**

(Los Angeles: late 2013, continued)

 _"Fuck"_ , Chloe Price thought. She had just woken up and felt the back of her head. A thumping headache was plaguing her. One look to her left saw two empty bottles of wine. _"A little bit too much to drink"_. Then she looked to her right, and saw a particular sleeping blonde beauty.

Thought after thought passed through Chloe's head. It all seemed so real. And how hella awesome the night had been. She had been right, it was the right moment, it had worked out even better than she had dared dream. And it had been worth waiting for. Shit, were all first times this good? It didn't seem possible, but it was. It had also made her realize that being on top most of the time had its advantages, such as being able to deny Rachel at crucial moments, dragging the experience out, and making the highlights even more explosive. It probably wouldn't be long before Rachel controlled affairs in bed again, Chloe knew she nearly always turned to mush whenever Rachel made love to her. But not this time.

Chloe carefully ran her fingers through Rachel's hair. She did her utmost best not to wake her lover up. Slowly her hand started reaching under the covers, touching Rachel's soft skin. Chloe couldn't stop thinking about how gorgeous her girl was. Or more accurately, woman.

But damn, no matter how tender her skin felt, Rachel had confirmed one of Chloe's longer lasting suspicions… she… was… a… screamer. Wild. Like fire. Intense. Chloe hoped that none of the neighbors had heard Rachel's lustful shrieks during their most intimate moments. Surely someone might report them for violating some term in the lease agreement.

More thoughts. _"Maybe I should try"._ Surely it couldn't hurt. Her hands slid down her own body, as she started to work herself to another highlight, trying to be as quiet as she could as Rachel still seemed fast asleep. Looking at Rachel made it easy. She'd done this before, but never with her girl right next to her. More and progressively heavier breaths left Chloe's mouth. She needed to be quieter, but it was difficult to maintain control of her senses.

Chloe closed her eyes, it wasn't far away now. Then suddenly she heard a familiar sultry sounding voice. "Good morning to you, C. Looks like you started early."

_"Oh, shit. Rachel… this isn't what it looks like…"_

"Come on Chloe, I'm not blind. But I am kind of offended that you didn't wake me up. I mean, at least let me watch."

_"I'm sorry, I thought… I mean… it's just that you… I thought you were sleeping."_

Her fiancée interrupted the desperate attempt to explain. "Why don't you let _me_ finish for you?"

Before Chloe could protest, Rachel's hand had taken the place of her own. Not much later, a wave of ecstasy ran through Chloe's body. Rachel was too good at this. _"Rach… that was… oh my... thank you…"_

"You deserved a little dessert, my angel". Rachel licked her own fingers as Chloe tried to regain her breath.

Chloe quickly climbed on top of Rachel. She looked her Cali girl firmly in the eyes. _"I'm still so fucking mad at you. Mad because you're so fucking cute… and hot... you're hella mine, woman!"_

"We good?"

_"Yeah. We good. I'm so glad we waited to do this… but next time you better not make me wait another three years". Chloe had a huge grin on her face, as she started kissing the blonde angel that was below her on the bed. "I smell like you now, and damn, I love it."_

A few minutes later Rachel asked Chloe if there were any cigarettes left, the only smoking vice the two were going to succumb to for the rest of their lives. Chloe offered Rachel one of the last ones in the pack, and Rachel suggested to share it. They took turns puffing smoke, and talked some more.

_"The parole board will now consider your application, miss Amber. Let me see. I'll have to stamp a few documents here."_

Rachel watched as Chloe formed a fist with her right hand, and pretended to formalize some invisible papers. _"One, two, three. All done."_

"What was that, Chloe?"

_"Two V-cards stamped. Girl-on-girl variants. And, parole granted. Come back on top, baby, you earned it last night."_

Rachel did not need to be told twice. Within seconds she was looking down at the other future Mrs. Amber. "Thank you, your honor. I will not disappoint you again. And C, last night was magical, I mean holy smokes, it was intense. If you were a dude, I'm sure I would be pregnant already."

_"Oh, fuck you, Rachel Amber."_

"Anytime, hot stuff". More passionate kissing followed, Chloe knew that it was useless to resist, as she had learned the previous night that Rachel could not be stopped once she was in heat. And Chloe didn't want her to stop. Because as any gods that were out there knew, they had a lot of postponed sex to catch up on. And they both realized that their lives together had started for real.

* * *

Early afternoon, after a hot shower make out session with the insatiable Amber, Chloe was sitting behind their PC checking her mail. There it was, an official invitation to come to Dan's Diner to interview for a waitress job. Chloe sighed briefly, would they even consider her taking into account her limited, almost non-existent experience? _"Well, I'll just have to use my natural charm and awesome people skills"_ , she thought.

Fortunately, there were other opportunities too. But so far, none had produced any results in terms of interviews or even rejections. Chloe continued browsing some local job boards. Suddenly, her eye fell on something. This could be of interest to Rachel. Chloe shouted for Rachel to come and look.

Rachel had been busy sorting her clothes, making sure they were all clean and neatly folded. When she heard Chloe call for her, she ran over immediately.

_"Look Rachel, this could be for you. This theatre group is looking to expand, and is seeking actors and actresses. They play Shakespeare and stuff, that could be right up your alley. And it looks real professional, it should be yours if you want it."_

Rachel jumped on Chloe's lap. "Let me see, Chloe. It seems they're asking for references. But I haven't done any acting for a while."

_"You can always ask Mr. Keaton. You were in his class, remember? He loved you in the Tempest. Maybe you still have his contact details?"_

"I still got his number, yes. I'll text him immediately. Chloe, you are so full of good ideas, thank you."

_"Thank me later, princess. And I got a surprise for you."_

"You're spoiling me, Chloe. Are we going to do something fun, like, say… taking off your pants?"

 _"Come on, Rach"._ Chloe couldn't help but laugh at how longingly Rachel looked towards her. _"Are you gonna be like this all day?"_

"I'm on fire, C. And I'm an arsonist, I'll set you on fire too, you should know that by now..."

_"You already did. And now that I have your undivided attention. You and me, we're going out, Saturday night. We can't sit around this place all the time. Maxipad's coming with us, and she's bringing a friend from UCLA. Elaine something… I don't remember the last name."_

"Her girlfriend?"

_"Not that I know of, but stranger things have happened in this reality. Maybe she already forgot about Warren. I guess we will find out soon. And there might be someone else too, or so Max told me. But it's a surprise, and she didn't tell me anything more."_

Rachel turned herself around and started kissing her woman. "You should color your hair again, C. The blue is fading, but I do love how you're growing your hair out again, like it was when we first met at the Firewalk concert".

_"Coloring my hair hasn't exactly been my priority these last months, Rachel, you were. But looking at these job boards has made me think, if we both get jobs, will our lives become boring and routine? I mean like mom and David? Because I don't really want to have a boring life. Growing up sucks."_

"Chloe, don't despair, no matter how boring working might be, we'll still have plenty of time for special activities, if you get my meaning". Rachel winked at Chloe who started having trouble focusing on what she wanted to say. "And besides, some jobs are only as boring as you want them to be. Plus, the money we earn will really mean something, like we're starting to live our own lives, independently."

They kept talking for another while. But some time later, Rachel saw that Chloe was in a sad mood, all of a sudden, it came out of nowhere.

_"I had a dream, Rach. Some weeks ago, after we visited my dad's grave, I dreamed about him. We were sitting in a forest, on a tree trunk, and it was just like old times, when he was still alive. We talked about a lot of things, but above all, he told me that he loved me, and wished me great happiness. But he also said to take things easy, and not be blinded by beauty._

_I've been trying to think about what it means. Am I blinded by you? Last night was so wonderful, and this morning too. But now I'm all over the place again. I can't shake these anxieties, Rachel, they just keep happening, like right now. Is it all a dream? Am I about to wake up in hell again, without you? Or is all of hell empty now?"_

"Everything will be alright, Chloe. All of this is real, I swear. And I would never leave you, not after what you and I have been through. No amount of fame and fortune could ever replace you. I would rather live under a bridge if it meant living with you, than to be on the cover of some pretentious magazine or have top billing in some Broadway play. I really hate to see this happening to you, but I know you don't do it deliberately. I guess we will both continue to struggle with our respective issues."

_"Living under a bridge? I'm not sure about that, Rachel. I kind of like the idea of our own mansion, with multiple bedrooms and you name it. Anyway, did I ever tell you about the time when I poured my heart out to Steph Gingrich? It was after I dumped Eliot, and had gone to see Firewalk with you showing up there. Steph, Mikey North and I had played some Dungeons and Dragons that day, my character was an elf barbarian named Callamastia._

_After we finished, Steph seemed to sense that I needed to talk with someone, and we went to her house. She took me to her bedroom. Don't get the wrong idea here, Rachel, it was just to talk. I don't know how, but Steph seemed to know more about me than I did. Steph was so cool, she told me she couldn't even remember a time that she didn't know she was gay, and everyone always knew she was. She sensed that I was struggling with identity issues. I told her I had feelings for you, the kind I never had before, what I never had with Eliot. She asked me if I was in love, I may have said yes, but above all I told her it was confusing. The thing with Eliot messed with my mind, just as I was crushing on you._

_She told me to follow my feelings. Love is love, those were her words. Then I blurted out that I thought I was gay. I came out to Steph, right there, right then. She was the first to officially know. She didn't seem surprised at all, as if she knew already, I was like an open book to her. She was my agony aunt that day. I asked her if she knew how it worked? I mean, romance, sex with girls… all that stuff. She looked at me and told me I had two hands, and I should use them. I was like OMG, really? We started laughing and we had a great time that evening, she showed me all of her Dungeons and Dragons figurines. I felt so much better when I went back home._

_I came out to my mom a few weeks later. She didn't seem too surprised, maybe a little disappointed. She was sorry that the thing with Eliot didn't work out. She liked him, and how he had given me some stability in my life. When she saw me cry, she thought he had dumped me. I told her that I was the one who dumped him, as gently as I could have done. Not much later she found out about me and you, and she got worried again. She feared you might have a bad influence on me. And it makes me think, did I ever come out to you?"_

"You didn't need to, Chloe. You came on to me like a storm, and shook up my life. I struggled with my identity much like you did, maybe even worse than you. But please, know that I'm gonna be here for you, always. As often and as long as you need me. Which is about as much as I need you, meaning a whole lot. One moment I'm depressed, and you lift me up, and now it's the other way around. I suppose we should schedule an appointment with one of those therapists Mrs. Grant recommended, we both need it. And that makes me think, I also have to confirm the appointment with my new physical therapist, she said she can come over next week."

Rachel smiled when she saw Chloe feel better again, her girlfriend's mood swings were known to her, she could look past them and see the wonderful person Chloe was. If only Chloe could maintain a little confidence, it always seemed to come and go.

Chloe grabbed her cellphone. _"There's something I want to show you. Look at the first text message in my draft folder. I wanted to send this to Steph earlier today, it's kinda stupid, but should I do it?"_

Rachel looked at the screen. The message simply said _"I fucked Rachel Amber"._ Rachel could not contain her laughter. Her girlfriend was obviously back to her earlier-that-day self. Rachel suggested Chloe take a picture of them both, to go with the text message. Chloe pressed the send button, she wasn't yet aware when and how she'd be getting a reply.

* * *

A few days later, Saturday night, Chloe felt a little uncomfortable. It was true that she had agreed to let Rachel dress her up and do her hair, but wearing the brand new outfit Rachel had bought for her was still something she would need to get used to. At least the skirt wasn't _that_ short, and the boots felt nice. Chloe looked at herself in the mirror as her blonde haired bombshell was putting the finishing touches on her hair. Blue, once more, with subtle hints of pink. Chloe had to admit to herself that it looked pretty good, and she wasn't someone that had ever enjoyed high confidence in her own looks and appearance, unlike Rachel.

The contrast between the glamorous looking couple and the beaten down truck they traveled in could hardly be greater. When Chloe parked the truck near Los Angeles city center where they would enjoy their night out, they drew quite a few onlookers who each seemed to wonder exactly why two women who looked so good would be driving that _thing._

They started walking towards the club where they had agreed to meet Max, her friend and the mystery guest that might or might not be there. The club was called _"The Underground"_ and it didn't quite sound to Chloe like something Max would pick, but here they were. Maybe Los Angeles was changing Max too. Chloe figured it wouldn't be long before they found out exactly if there was anything _"underground"_ about the place.

They passed by a lot of other people on their way, party-goers, people on their way home, drunks and people just milling about. What made Chloe feel most uncomfortable was not the outfit she was wearing, or holding hands with Rachel whilst walking, it was that people seemed to be staring at her, plenty of guys were actually staring at her. She could never fathom why people would even give her a glance, and now all of a sudden some people looked at her like she was royalty. It caused Chloe to squeeze Rachel's hand. Rachel was more used to this kind of attention than Chloe was, and instinctively she seemed to sense that her blue haired beauty was not entirely at ease with the situation.

"We're almost there, C. I think I see Max already, look over there! Looks like she brought two friends!"

Max had spotted Chloe and Rachel coming and waved them over. "I am so happy to see you two here, at last! It almost feels unreal. You two look absolutely gorgeous tonight. Chloe, is that really you? That's quite the outfit you are wearing, it suits you well, the colors, black, blue and everything! Quite the change from jeans and a shirt. And as you can see, I brought the welcoming committee I promised you. This here is my friend from class, Elaine Gonzalez. Elaine, meet Chloe Price, my childhood friend, and Rachel Amber, her fiancée."

Elaine looked at the two women she was unfamiliar with, and was impressed with their presentation, their outfits and their obvious chemistry. "I'm so happy to meet you two, Max has mentioned so many amazing things about you. And you both look absolutely great! And you're engaged to be married? That is so wonderful!"

Chloe noticed the other girl with Max and Elaine. There was something familiar about her, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. And Chloe got annoyed because she saw that girl play around with her cellphone, as if she was looking something up. How rude, not to be paying attention during introductions. Then the girl turned her head towards them and Chloe's mouth was wide open from shock and surprise. _"No way! Is that... is that you? Steph?"_

At that precise moment Steph shoved her cellphone in Chloe's face, showing her the text message that Chloe had sent earlier. Steph had a huge smile on her face and grabbed Chloe by the shoulders. "If it isn't Arcadia Bay's daddy! Yeah! How are you Chloe? I am so over the moon to meet you again. Like Elaine said, Max has told us everything. You look so different, and gorgeous! If we weren't both spoken for, I would have totally hit on you right here right now."

"So would I", Elaine added. Rachel and Max found it amusing to see Chloe blushing with a desperate look on her face.

Steph continued. "When you sent me that text message earlier this week I wanted to send a million replies immediately, but I knew I couldn't because Max had asked me not to spoil the surprise!"

 _"Thanks for that, Max"_ , Chloe said in a sarcastic tone. Max, Rachel and Elaine were increasingly amused at how red Chloe's face had become. _"I didn't even recognize you without a beanie. Dammit, Steph, what are you doing here? I heard you had gone to the other side of the country?"_

"I was going to head for New York", Steph answered. But during spring break I met Elaine. Her father is an immigrant from Mexico. To make a long story short, I fell in love with Elaine and went for it, she accepted and that's what started it. Elaine studies at UCLA with Max, so I decided to find a job here. I do technical stuff for the Saturn Theatre Group, lights and all that, it's really a good environment and I am encouraged to be creative. Imagine finding you here with Rachel, at some point it must have seemed it was never going to happen. I'm glad it worked out. I remember our talk very well, I really had to control myself not to make a move on you back then either, because it wouldn't have been appropriate. I must seem crazy to you."

The Saturn Theatre Group, that sure sounded familiar to Chloe. But before she could say anything, Rachel mentioned to Steph that she had submitted her interest in joining that group earlier that day. Steph's eyes lit up. "I heard they were looking to expand. I really hope you will be accepted, Rachel. I was always impressed with your acting in Mr. Keaton's plays. And if you're lucky, Mr. Keaton will put in a good word for you, he's very good friends with Saturn's creative director, I've seen Mr. Keaton a few times already. What can I say, they didn't call it Arcadia Gay for nothing!"

Steph, Rachel, Elaine and Max laughed hard, whilst Chloe was just shaking her head. Too many coincidences, that couldn't be real. _"Fuck you, Steph, I'll kill you"_ , she muttered. Steph immediately winked back at Chloe.

Rachel finally decided it was time for them to go inside _"The Underground"_ and check it out. Once inside, the girls saw there was a sizeable crowd already, and they decided to start the night off with a round of drinks, to celebrate them all coming together.

Steph and Elaine hit the dance floor early, and were all over each other. Rachel joined them and wanted to drag Chloe with her. Chloe said she wanted to talk to Max first and she would join a bit later.

 _"_ _How are things for you, Batmax?"_

"It's going really well, Chloe. UCLA is really challenging me, and I've entered some of my work into this state competition that UCLA will be hosting. I'm very hopeful, the teachers keep overloading me with compliments."

 _"_ _Like you need those classes, you're gonna be the best photographic artist in the world, someday, I know it. The pictures you send us all the time all seem to have some story to tell."_

"So, what are you going to do here in Los Angeles? In terms of school, work, those kinds of things?"

 _"_ _You mean apart from being with Rachel? I have a few job applications outstanding, I might take a temp job at some diner, to make some money, work on my magnetic personality."_

"Captain Chloe as a waitress? As I said before, this I gotta see. What's the place called?"

 _"_ _Like I'm gonna tell you, Max-a-roni, you'd be showing up with your damn camera. No pictures, is that clear?"_

"No problem, I'll get Rachel to tell me where you're going to work."

 _"_ _I'm sure she will love telling you, Mighty Max. But you better not be sitting within my reach when I accidentally spill hot coffee. And speaking of certain things, what happened to you and Warren?"_

"He's finishing his last year at Blackwell. He's taking all the advanced classes, and doing really well. And yes Chloe, I really did go on a date with him, as promised. And guess what? It went a lot better than I thought it would. He's really growing, as a person. As you know, I love seeing him geek out on stuff. He's getting more mature, and that's a good thing. I wasn't really comfortable with the stalker aspect of his persona. Once he finishes at Blackwell, he's going to come over to UCLA as well."

 _"_ _So… this is going somewhere?"_

"I don't know, we're not officially in a relationship or anything, but he's a really good friend. I'm going to be taking this slow, I'm not ready for any kind of commitment, unlike you. I'm not certain if it could work out."

 _"_ _We'll see, Maximus. Anyway, let's go join Rachel and the other girls!"_

Dance music wasn't really Chloe's thing, but she couldn't help letting herself go as Rachel seemed unstoppable. And soon enough, they too were all over each other.

* * *

A few hours and quite a few drinks later, both Rachel and Chloe were sitting at the tropical bar in the club. Steph, Elaine and Max were not too far away, having fun talking about whatever came up. Much to Chloe's surprise, Max seemed much more able to keep up in terms of drinking and having fun than Chloe would have thought possible, considering her best friend's reputation as Moral Max, the geeky wallflower.

"Hey Chloe, I gotta go to the toilet, can you watch my drink?"

 _"Sure Rach, I won't let anyone near it"_. Chloe moved Rachel's glass right next to her own.

Rachel's absence gave Chloe a moment to think. She had quite a bit too much to drink, but wasn't exactly wasted _yet_. But the drinking had thrown up a little complication, no way could she drive back now, it was too risky. They'd have to walk or find a cab. Another ten to fifteen bucks down the drain.

"Excuse me, miss, may I join you?"

The question startled Chloe, she looked to her right and saw a young man standing there. Her first thoughts went to douchebag Johnny, the fuel station asshole. She had seen this film before.

 _"What"_ , is all Chloe managed to say, looking a bit confused. He was eyeballing her, she looked back at him, he was quite good looking, for a guy anyway. Blond hair, blue eyes, nice figure. Was she even supposed to notice these things? It felt like cheating on Rachel.

"I know this might sound cheesy, but I think you are really something, you look beautiful, and I really dig your outfit. I haven't seen you around here before, have I? And I'm so sorry, I'm kind of nervous, my name is Tim. May I know your name?"

 _"You're right, that was kind of a bad pick-up line"._ Chloe started to get a good impression of this guy, apparently named Tim. He was so much nicer than douchebag Johnny had been. _"My name is Chloe, and I only just moved to L.A. earlier this week…"_

Before she could continue, Tim offered her a drink, on him. Chloe peeked at her nearly empty glass, and her mind started working on a scheme. _"Sure, Tim, I'll have another tequila"._

Tim seemed ecstatic at Chloe's reaction. The drinks were served quickly and he tried to continue the conversation. From their place not far away, Steph, Elaine and Max were following the proceedings with great amusement. Steph especially enjoyed seeing Chloe being hit on by the young man in question, Max said he was certainly handsome.

Then Rachel returned, and found her place taken by a guy who was obviously talking to Chloe, and she was talking back to him, looking a bit confused but it certainly seemed she was going along with whatever it was he was selling. Rachel thought she could hear between the lines that the young man was trying to get Chloe to come with him. It was time to intervene.

"Hey Chloe, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

Tim looked to his right, seeing yet another beautiful woman appear. He made a quick assessment in his mind, and decided his interest should remain with Chloe, and not with whoever her friend was.

 _"_ _Rachel, this is Tim. He just bought me a drink."_

"I think your friend is really beautiful, Rachel. Do you mind?"

"I wouldn't mind, were it not for a little detail she might not have mentioned."

It was Tim's turn to look confused. "What do you mean?"

"Quite simple, Timmy boy, I'm telling you… back off… she's mine". Rachel switched over to Tim's left and planted her lips on Chloe's. Tim witnessed a passionate kiss that lasted for at least half a minute.

Chloe noticed that the guy started to look a bit disappointed. She figured he might have thought the kiss was hot, but at the same time it must have shattered any illusions he might have had about taking her home for sex. _"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have led you on. I can pay for the drink myself if you want."_

Fortunately, Tim turned out to be a good sport, and offered to buy Rachel a drink as well. They laughed at the situation, and Tim said it had taught him a valuable lesson.

It was getting quite late, and the girls decided to leave for home. Steph, Elaine and Max shared a cab, and Rachel and Chloe did the same to go back to their apartment. Their truck would have to wait for its owners.

They said goodbye to each other, and agreed to go out again very soon.

While waiting for a cab, Rachel turned to Chloe. "I told you, C. I told you the guys here love girls like you. I told you that you would break hearts here, and tonight you did. And I love that scheme of yours to get free drinks, it was so deliciously evil. To think, you could be fucking him right now, at this very moment. Well you could have, had you not been mine… and if you weren't hella gay.

Don't worry, I won't hold this against you, I just love seeing you have a good time. And as for the hot sex, I'm just going to have to go home with you and fill the void Timmy left in your life". Rachel laughed about as hard as Chloe had ever heard her do. To Rachel's relief, Chloe produced a giggle of her own.

 _"_ _We certainly had a good time tonight, Rachel. But I think I'm still sober enough for that hot night you just promised me. Should we get a bottle of wine before we go home or do we still have some in our apartment? Because I will so punish you for making fun of me. I'll make you scream my name."_

"That… sounds… very appealing… let's go now! And trust me, we are still well stocked in terms of wine and other spirits. No drugs, ever again, I promise, but booze and cigarettes are still fine, right?"

 _"_ _Yeah, of course. We have to unwind a little every now and then. Plus, a little bit does help with our extracurricular activities, so to speak"._ Chloe winked at Rachel, who returned the favor. _"But when we go for a walk tomorrow night, miss Amber, we're both wearing jeans and shirts, none of this skirt business, special occasions only."_

A cab arrived, and not much later the two were back in their apartment. When Rachel woke up on Sunday, it was past three o'clock in the afternoon. Another perfect night had followed a perfect evening. Surely that wouldn't always happen like that, but as long as she and Chloe were creating happy memories, she was fine with it. And if it meant wearing jeans and shirts, that was fine too. She'd scream Chloe's name over and over again.

* * *

A few days later Rachel was sitting on the couch, excitedly waiting for Chloe to return from her interview at Dan's Diner. As Chloe entered the apartment, Rachel noticed she was carrying a package that wasn't there when Chloe had departed for the interview. It was strange, because Chloe's demeanor was betraying a hint of resignation.

 _"_ _How was your day, Rachel?"_

Rachel forgot all about asking Chloe how her interview had gone, because she had exciting news to share with the love of her life.

"Guess what! The Saturn Theatre Group is going to give me a try-out! You know who was there today? Mr. Keaton! It looks like he's going to join also. I'm so excited, I couldn't wait to tell you. And they're a professional outfit, so I'd be getting at least minimum wage. I'll have to brush up on my Shakespeare, though."

 _"_ _Dead poets again, huh? Well, I'm happy for you, Rachel. And thank you for asking about my interview. I am happy to report I've officially turned into my own mother. Before you stands the newest employee of Dan's Diner. I'm getting a three-month trial run, minimum wage plus tips. And they gave me an outfit"._

"Try it on, baby, I want to see it right now. You need any help?"

 _"_ _I know how to change clothes, Amber"_. Chloe disappeared into the bedroom and a few minutes later came back out, looking extremely embarrassed.

"It's… not bad… not bad at all! It suits you, actually."

 _"_ _I swear, Rachel, if I pass my trial run, I will redesign the entire thing. I mean, look at this? That color looks horrendous with my hair. But at least there's someone in the diner who can teach me a few things, so I won't have to figure everything out by myself. Looks like we're not going to start off getting super rich with jobs like this, but it's a start. We'll figure it out later."_

"I want to play a game tonight, Chloe. You remember, I mentioned it a few days ago. It's called taking off your pants… or in this case, waitress outfit". Chloe got a bit disturbed about the evil look Rachel was giving her, but it did seem to promise well for the evening to come.

"Shall I make us some dinner, my future sexy waitress wife? Or maybe, you should prepare the dinner, considering the start of your exciting new career in food and drinks!"

 _"_ _Screw you, Rachel. I have to call my mom now. You start preparing. Spaghetti, please. And I want extra sauce!"_

Rachel disappeared into the kitchen. Chloe searched for her cellphone, and started calling her mother. It took only a few rings for Chloe's call to be answered. To Chloe's relief it was her mom, and not David who picked up the phone. "It's so good to hear your voice, Chloe. My little girl, in a nest of her own. How are you doing? And how is Rachel?"

 _"_ _I'm fine mom, and Rachel too. We're really starting to get somewhere. Rachel and I are really happy, so far. I do miss you a lot. And I think I have some news for you. Rachel is going to get a shot with this really fancy theatre group. She looked so excited, this could be really big in the long run. And you're probably going to laugh at me, but I found a job too."_

"Why would I laugh at you? I will always support you, my little girl."

 _"_ _Mom, I am not a little girl anymore. I'm a woman now, in a relationship. And so far, Los Angeles is every bit the dream I hoped it would be."_

"That's really good to hear, Chloe. And as for your job, I know you're not fond of routine, but everyone needs a little bit of that in their lives. David for example, he's doing really well. The changes at Blackwell are working out for him. They're busy preparing next year's renovation. Now, what kind of a job were you talking about?"

 _"_ _Well… I'll say it… guess what mom? I'm a waitress too. It's a start. Don't take it the wrong way, but I don't plan on it lasting forever."_

"It doesn't matter, Chloe. The main thing is that you're happy, my dear. And hearing you talk about your new life makes me happy. And David too, he also wants what's best for you. We both miss you. Maybe one day we can visit?"

 _"_ _Sure mom, always. Don't forget to send my best to David, and the neighbors too. I can't talk much longer, because we're busy preparing dinner."_

"So am I, Chloe. And I'll talk to you again real soon, I hope."


	17. Visit

**Visit**

(Los Angeles: December 2013)

There was one more hour to go in Chloe's work shift at the diner. She was starting to get used to the work, and found that she was surprisingly good at it. She thought of her mother, and the intensive crash course that she had received from her in the weeks before departing to Los Angeles with Rachel. Dan's Diner was a friendly place, located not too far from the apartment where she and Rachel lived. Most of the customers were office workers who came during their lunch break, people on their way to the Santa Monica pier, students on a day off and retired folks.

Owner Dan Romero had been impressed with his newest employee, and cut short her trial run by offering her a contract until the end of June 2014. There wasn't much of a pay upgrade to go with that, but Chloe was happy with anything she could get. It was always about the end game, helping herself and her fiancée Rachel build a stable basis for their future. And besides, with little more than a belated diploma practically gifted by Blackwell, it was as good as could be hoped for in the short term.

A new customer came in to the diner and sat down at one of the tables. Chloe grabbed the little notebook she used for taking the orders from customers, and went straight over. _"Hi, my name is Chloe and I'm your waitress for today, what can I get you?"_ Right as she finished speaking she got a good look at this new customer, and was surprised once she saw who it was. Who else but Max Caulfield, the obviously not attending any classes today UCLA student. Chloe wasn't sure how to react, Max was her best friend, but Chloe did not like being surprised at work by people she knew.

"Oh, hi Chloe, I thought I'd come in to check how you are doing! I haven't been here before, and wanted to check this place out. I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier. I like this place, it reminds me of the Two Whales. And speaking of that, if it weren't for your hair you could totally pass for your mother". Max seemed very amused, which greatly annoyed Chloe.

 _"Do I look that old to you, Max? You came here to make pictures of me, right? Did my mom ask you? David? Rachel? Or someone else we know from our Arcadia Bay past? And shouldn't you be in school? It's so not cool to sneak up on me like that, you should have let me know"._ But Chloe was unable to stay mad at her best friend for long.

Max tried to reassure Chloe. "I'm not here to embarrass you, I just want to check up on my friend, is that against the law? I don't have any classes anymore until next month. And since you asked about my order, can you get me a coffee with some of that delicious looking chocolate cake?"

Of course Max put her to work immediately, but such was the life of a waitress. It did make Chloe have some regrets about her past attitude concerning school, but what was done could not be undone. She went behind the bar and prepared coffee, trying very hard to suppress any thoughts about _"accidentally"_ spilling some coffee or cake on Max's coat. She grinned at the idea of doing precisely that, but knew that she would not. Chloe went back to Max and put the coffee and cake on the table.

 _"Dear Max, that'll be three hundred dollars, which includes your generous tip to your hella awesome waitress"_. Both Chloe and Max laughed and Chloe sat down at Max's table for a moment. "Chloe, you are awesome, but you are not three hundred dollars awesome. Here, does ten bucks cover what I owe you?"

 _"Gee, thanks Max, this will have me living large here in L.A. one day. I love seeing you, but remember, no pictures! If a picture of me working here ever leaks to my mom or David Madsen, I'll never hear the end of it, and whoever made the picture will not live to tell about it, get it? My stepdad would never stop laughing at me. But tell me, how's school?"_ Chloe winked at Max as she said it, making clear that the veiled threat was little more than a tease.

"I don't even have my camera with me today, Chloe. I forgot to pack it. But thanks for asking about school, it's still going really well. I came here to tell you I'm a finalist in the state photo competition. Some of the teachers say they think I have a good chance of winning it. Unfortunately UCLA is hosting it this year so the trip to the finals is basically no more than a twenty minute walk from the dormitory. But then again, I like it there. I'm really starting to get my work noticed by important people in the L.A. art scene."

_"Max, one day you are going to be the best photographer in the world. And you will totally make a series of photos of me and Rachel that will be published everywhere! And then we'll all get rich with royalty payments, we'll all be millionaires! Don't disappoint me, Max"._

"I wouldn't bet my life on it if I were you, Chloe", Max laughed. "But speaking of pictures, have you and Rachel set a date for your wedding yet? I would so love to be your official wedding photographer, I'd do it for free of course, I would feel like an asshole if I asked you for any money."

_"No, we haven't set a date yet, it all depends on the trial against those two fuckers. Maybe we'll do it near the end of next year, but 2015 is also a possibility if you ask me. Some dude from the prosecutor's office told us last week that they expect the trial to begin early next year. Hopefully it will be over within a few months, but they're not so sure. It will be complicated, and difficult, especially for Rachel who is considered by the prosecutor to be the star witness. I suppose it would be easier if someone just killed both those assholes. Maybe I shouldn't entertain such thoughts, but just thinking about them makes me furious. I'll never forgive them for what they did to my Rachel._

_From what I've heard, the police in Seattle are acting on some things Rachel remembered Mark Jefferson telling her in the Dark Room. He seems to have taunted her during the final weeks, detailing everything he'd done to other girls and what he was going to do to her to end her life. He doesn't seem to have bothered drugging Rachel very much anymore during those final weeks, enabling her to remember some things._

_The prosecutor says it would be a huge thing if Rachel's recollections check out, and it would help the rest of her testimony stand up in court. What worries me, is that Rachel could start having nightmares again. I hope that doesn't happen, but we have to prepare for the eventuality. I don't want her to go through all of what is going to happen, but we have to do it. I can't stand the thought of seeing her in agony again. I just want to protect her, she's my angel."_

"Chloe, you and Rachel can count on me. If you ever need me around, or need someone to talk to, or if Rachel does, do not hesitate to call me. You two do not have to go through this all by yourselves. And I'm sure Steph and her girlfriend Elaine would be willing to help too, and others, your mom maybe, Rachel's parents, you name it."

_"Yeah I know. Rachel's parents are going to visit us very soon. Even if Rachel's relationship with them isn't exactly great, it could help a bit. And the prosecutor wants us to stop by and further discuss Rachel's testimony and start finalizing preparation for anything the defense lawyers might try to do. He says the defense will likely try to unsettle her in court, and damage the impact of her testimony. It's going to be tough to balance the whole affair with our jobs. I hope the therapy sessions Rachel and I have been taking are going to help."_

"I hope so too, Chloe. And as I said, if you need my help, just let me know, alright? Anytime. This is more important to me than school. If I have to, I'll skip exams in order to help you two. I feel I still owe you for those five years of silence. I'll do anything for you both".

Chloe couldn't chat much longer with Max, as other customers needed her attention. She said goodbye to Max, and Max thanked her for the delicious coffee and cake, she promised to come back soon.

* * *

Late in the afternoon, Chloe's shift was over, and after talking with diner owner Dan Romero about the schedule for the holidays, she returned home. Rachel was already there and welcomed her. "Hey baby, how was your day?"

_"It was alright. Guess who came by? Maxipad! We had a nice talk that made me feel better about things. She really wants to help us next year, if we need it. But let's see once we get there. My boss, Dan, also knows that this trial thing could be huge, and he's willing to work around it. I'm glad to work at that place, the people are all so nice to me, especially Darlene who has helped me a lot._

_There are so many things I didn't know and much more I still don't. But I've only met a very small number of real difficult customers so far. And I hope you're pleased to hear I haven't flipped out at anyone yet! That must be some kind of record for me."_

"I'm always very proud of you, C. And now it's time for you to relax, I made dinner already. Chicken surprise, just the way you like it, extra spicy! Theatre rehearsal went pretty well today, I only have a small part to play in our Christmas program, but I'm very excited about it. The creative director seems to think I'm doing well, and Mr. Keaton is very happy too, they're hella gay if you ask me, though they don't show it openly."

Rachel served dinner. Chloe had changed into jeans and a shirt, and was especially hungry after a long day at work. It was good to be home again, and as always she really had to strain herself not to turn to mush every time Rachel flashed her a smile. Chloe always kept thinking how amazing it was that two people that were so different could end up being such a perfect match. She and Rachel thought alike on their goals, shared the same dreams and supported each other through good and bad times. They were allowed to have a few differences.

After dinner Chloe sat down on the couch, and started reading messages on her cellphone. She answered some questions from her mother, and confirmed the date for the next girls' night out. Then all of a sudden, Rachel emerged from the bedroom, wearing nothing but a black shirt and shorts. She seductively approached Chloe and sat herself down on her lover's lap, facing her.

"Hey baby, I think we both need some you-and-me time". Rachel started kissing Chloe's neck and Chloe's heart started beating faster.

 _"We need to talk about some things, Rach"._ Chloe hated to interrupt Rachel in one of her really friendly moods, but Max had reminded her that they hadn't planned anything for their wedding yet. _"We need to think about a date for our wedding. The prosecutor's office says the trial will take between four and six months. So if we want to get married after that, I guess we are looking at a date between September and November?"_

"I'm looking forward to making you officially mine, Chloe. You are so hot, and I love you more than anything". Rachel kept caressing Chloe's skin which kept making her lover feel awkward. But Chloe loved feeling awkward. Their dynamic was such that Rachel was often in the lead, and Chloe happily followed. But not always, and Chloe never felt manipulated when around Rachel. She loved and worshipped Rachel in every way possible. Rachel gave her space to take charge from time to time. It simply worked.

"I was thinking around Halloween, C. The places near the Santa Monica pier should still be available. And should we keep it small or make it big?"

_"I prefer small, Rachel. Family and real friends only. And maybe we should have a cool theme for our wedding? Any ideas?"_

"How about Steampunk? Or Game of Thrones? I would love something where the guests also dress up. And what about us, Chloe? You want a suit or a dress?"

_"I'm not wearing a white dress, Rach. But maybe some kind of dress. Or we both wear punk outfits, something cool for sure."_

"You know what I would love the most, Chloe? A real fluffy wedding first, love songs and all that, and then when our parents go home, we change and go to some rock or punk concert, underground maybe. Because I want to dance… all night… with you. And make out. And finally, a magical wedding night, or even a full week, we will make each other see all the stars. Something to remember for the rest of our lives together."

 _"You make it sound so dreamy, Rachel. Maybe we should ask Max or Steph to help plan? I think Steph would be an awesome master of ceremonies. And do we know anyone who could be the wedding officiant? It should be someone who is not boring. So not Max, but she's occupied anyway, she's my best man and wants to be our photographer."_ Chloe and Rachel smiled at each other, knowing they both loved Max very much.

"I'm thinking of asking Steph to be my witness, Chloe. Let's start planning these things next Sunday, after we had our girls' night out. We can ask Max and Steph to join, and Steph's girlfriend Elaine too."

_"Rachel, your parents are coming to visit Friday night, so it seems our weekend is fully booked already. It's going to be quite hectic the next few weeks, so I was thinking you and me should take a little trip early next year to relax, maybe Las Vegas or something. Somewhere where no one else knows us, where we can party and screw each other."_

"Now you're speaking my language, Chloe. I desire you so much right now. How about a lap dance? You want one? I'll give you a kiss and you can let me know". Chloe closed her eyes as Rachel leaned in for one of her patented, long lasting kisses. It wasn't long before Chloe felt all mushy again, ready for anything Rachel wanted to do to her. Chloe had difficulty breathing as Rachel heated her up with sensual movements, she sure could get used to these lap dances. After a while, Rachel took Chloe by the hand and escorted her to the bedroom. Not much later Chloe felt Rachel on top of her, starting to remove her clothes, exploring her whole body and working her usual magic.

* * *

On Friday night Chloe and Rachel welcomed Rachel's parents. The two lovers sat on the couch, most of the time holding hands very visibly. The Ambers sat across the table on two chairs.

James Amber then surprised them all by telling them he had a confession to make. He looked at Chloe specifically and started talking.

"I have to admit, Chloe, I have had mixed feelings about you for a long time. Probably Rachel and Rose never expected me to address these things in public, but I believe it must be done now. I was so wrong when I thought you were the one who had driven my daughter to drugs, and maybe even turned her away from boys. It was never any of that. I simply did not see. I realize now that in fact you were Rachel's friend all along. And you helped save her. In effect, you saved my world. Through my actions and my lies, we nearly lost her forever."

_"For me, Mr. Amber, it was always a simple matter. When you meet someone who can change everything in your life, you just know. And with Rachel, I knew. It didn't make sense, but I knew, and I still know. I will make her happy, I promise. Her happiness is my happiness. I can't imagine a life without her anymore."_

Mr. Amber nodded his head as if he approved of what Chloe had said. "I put so much pressure upon my Rachel, I never bothered to look if she was truly happy, and I think that for a long time she wasn't. And Rose and I always knew that one day, she might find out about her birth mother, Sera. We should have told her. It is all our fault."

"Dad, please stop blaming yourself. Plenty of mistakes were made which led to my imprisonment, and some of the biggest of those mistakes were my own. I suppose you will find out a lot during the trial, some things you already know, some things you don't. My statements will probably become public, I'll have to testify, and I am not looking forward to that at all."

"I can understand, my daughter. Rose and I know that Chloe is there for you, and that really makes us feel at ease. She's your partner in everything. I have to admit it took a while for me to accept that you were gay, but right now I don't think there is a better person in the world for you, and there probably never will be. Have your parents visited yet, Chloe?"

_"No, they don't really have the time, or the money. It's not easy for them. We call all the time, they are up to date about everything, they would love to come. Maybe next time you can bring them along? It might save some money."_

"We can certainly look at that. There is nothing Rose and I won't do for the two of you. And we're not talking about money only, we want to be there for you, should you need us. Rachel, Chloe, you two mean the world to us now. I hope you two can overcome the struggles that are coming next year. We want you to know you can count on our support, in whatever form it is needed."

Chloe then took the opportunity to mention that she and Rachel were planning a little trip to Las Vegas to unwind, and the Ambers immediately offered to pay for it. James reiterated that he still knew money didn't buy forgiveness, but that he and Rose wished nothing more than to enable both Rachel and Chloe to pass through the difficult times ahead of them in the smoothest way possible.

Rachel and Chloe agreed to let the Ambers pay for their little vacation, both realizing that though they kept saying they wouldn't take any more money from the Ambers, that it was not a bad thing to give in every now and then. Their respective jobs weren't making Rachel and Chloe rich so why not accept help? And with the trial coming, anything that would ensure long term financial security was welcome. Rachel told Chloe she realized that the time would come that she would be at peace with her parents, and that she was looking forward to it.

After the Ambers left for their hotel, Rachel and Chloe decided to go to bed. Chloe wasn't feeling at her best so it was decided to just cuddle for a while, and talk some more about little nothings and just admire each other from up close. Sex was usually great but some nights it was better to just settle for some kissing and cuddling, this was such a night.

* * *

**(Present time: late 2019)**

Chloe and Rachel arrived at the Victor De La Cruz gallery, where Max Caulfield and her collaborator Victoria Chase were exhibiting their latest work. The first week of the exhibit had already drawn quite a few visitors, and reviews were still overwhelmingly positive.

One of the first people that Chloe saw, once inside the gallery, was Kate Marsh. Chloe and Rachel went over to say hello, and to find out more about Kate's latest children's book, her fourth collaboration with the same Victoria Chase. The first three books had all found a certain degree of success and Kate's name was rising in the world of children's books.

"Hi Chloe, Rachel. I love seeing you both as always. Don't worry, I'm not judgmental, nor do I subscribe to strict views. I want you two to be happy, that's all that matters. If you're looking for Max and Victoria, they are right around the corner. Their presentation is about to begin, shall we take a look?"

Kate showed Rachel and Chloe a place to sit. The presentation took about half an hour, and afterwards both Max and Victoria approached the other three. Victoria immediately embraced Kate, Chloe and Rachel as if meeting long lost friends.

"I'm still so jealous of you two. Everyone can feel your chemistry. And Max was right about art. I always thought that I had to elbow my way to the front, and for a while I behaved like a complete bitch towards Max as well as Kate. I'm really happy to be working with both of them now, finding out they are amazing people. One day, Chloe and Rachel, you are going to have to let me and Max make some art especially for you, I have a few ideas ready to go."

 _"That's very friendly"_ , Chloe said. _"Maybe later next year? It's good to see that we've all become better people. And you, Kate, you're the most famous of all the Arcadia Bay artists here! Rachel and I own all your books so far, they are really good, and Victoria's design really complements them."_

Max mentioned that her pregnancy was going very well. Kate promised to send free copies of her books for her future child, which Max gratefully accepted.

Rachel then explained she might have a big decision to make. "My band's debut album is out, and it's doing pretty well in the scene. Also, I've been asked for the lead in the next play of our theatre group. It's still a surprise so I won't mention which play yet, though Chloe knows. The day will come soon where I might have to choose between singing and stage acting. I'm so glad that Chloe is there for me, because this decision is going to be tough. I don't want to quit either, and I want to be sure Chloe and I are aligned if and when I have to choose."

_"Rachel, you know very well that I will support you in anything you choose. I don't mind that you get to be on stage, whether singing or acting. I for one prefer the anonymity of life behind the scenes, designing your outfits, and just being there for you. This is my dream."_


	18. Memory

**Memory**

(Los Angeles: New Year's Eve 2013)

Chloe and Rachel had been invited by Max to the New Year's Eve party for students of the UCLA Department of Art. Max's classmate Elaine was there as well and Elaine had brought her girlfriend Steph. The theme for the party was "Bright Lights and Sharp Focus", and it was there that the Department of Art would celebrate one of their own students having won the state photo competition the week before.

One of the teachers started making a speech. And at the end of it, he called Max forward. At the awards ceremony the previous week, Max Caulfield had been unanimously proclaimed by the jury to be the winner of the "Strength to Overcome" competition, the name that had been used in 2013 for the state photo competition. As a large print of Max's winning photo was being presented, the teacher called on Max to make a speech.

"I just want to say, I am so honored to have been selected as the winner last week. I hope I will be able to continue to deserve such an honor, and represent UCLA to the best of my ability. I learned a lot of things this year, and not just at this school.

I have learned the value of friendship, and how difficult it can be to maintain sometimes. Two people I know have gone through serious issues this year, and they have shown tremendous strength to overcome many challenges on their path. There is no one on this earth that I admire more than them. I will continue to support them throughout the next year to face more difficult challenges coming their way. I guess what I really want to say is that I am dedicating the award to them. Thank you all for listening, and let's get the party started."

Max joined the other women and they all embraced. Chloe started to make a speech of her own. _"Max, I want to thank you for all you've done for me… I mean for us this year. Without you, I wouldn't be here, Rachel wouldn't be here… there is just no way we can ever repay you for what you have done for us. And it really helps me and Rachel so much knowing that we can count on you next year as well. I can't stop smiling whenever I see you. Sure, there were others who made great contributions, but you were the catalyst, Max. You brought me back from the brink and set the process in motion. You are one of my heroes."_

Rachel added to Chloe's speech. "All the things Chloe just said are true, if only you would realize what a difference you have made. Chloe and I are back together and that would never have happened without you. I have no words to express how happy it makes me feel every time I look at Chloe and realize how lucky I am to be with her. We are so privileged to have a tremendous friend like you. Thank you."

Elaine and Steph saw that Max was blushing because of the compliments. And they knew that Chloe and Rachel had not exaggerated one bit. Elaine told Max she was an extraordinary hero, and that she was proud to be in the same class with her, so she could learn from the best.

Soon after, dance music started playing and people started drinking and preparing for midnight, 2014 was only a few more hours away. Max received a lot of attention from the other students.

At Steph's suggestion, Elaine took Rachel dancing. Steph used the opportunity to talk to Chloe. "I'm so looking forward to midnight, Chloe. Because this time, I really aim to get a kiss out of you. Don't worry, just a friendly New Year's kiss, nothing more. But I've always wanted a kiss from you. I hope I'm not making you feel uncomfortable."

_"Not at all, Steph. I know what you mean. Besides, you have no chance to break me away from Rachel anyway."_

"I've known that for over three years, Chloe. I could sense that you and her were the real deal back then. That feeling has only strengthened. I've never felt such a strong connection between any two people. It's especially remarkable because on the surface you are both so different. Yet your bond is unbreakable, I can definitely tell you that. Don't ask how I know, I just do."

_"I always thought you used to have a major crush on Rachel, at the same time I did?"_

"Oh yes that is true, but I was crushing on you as well. And why not? I could see you were so much prettier than you allowed yourself to be. But once I knew you and Rachel were a thing, I wasn't going to interfere because I realized I had no chance. Besides, I am very happy now, Elaine and I have so much in common."

_"Do you still have your Dungeons and Dragons stuff? I think we never finished that game, maybe we should? I would certainly be in for another afternoon of your wonderful storytelling, you were always the best Dungeon Master I've ever played with, and had the pleasure to listen to. The way you told the story, it made it seem so real. Maybe you could do something for Rachel and me at our wedding?"_

"I still have all of it, and I think it's a good idea to play again. Elaine likes it too, and maybe we can introduce Max to our wonderful fantasy world? And to answer your other question, I would absolutely love to be master of ceremonies at your wedding. I suspect you're looking for a theme?"

_"Yeah, me and Rachel have been thinking, we want a cool theme for our wedding, maybe Game of Thrones or something, the Dragon Queen, who knows? You'd be perfect to help people really get into the right mindset."_

"In that case, my answer is yes, I'll do it. Though I must tell you, Rachel approached me to be her best man, but perhaps I can do both. It sounds like it's going to be a fun wedding, and I am so going to steal some ideas that maybe Elaine and me can use later when it's our turn! A question for you, Chloe, how many other guys have tried to ask you out since that one dude in _"The Underground"_ tried to hit on you? I bet there have been a few. I'm so sorry for laughing."

_"Don't get me started, Steph. It's all Rachel's fault really. She refuses to let me go out in simple jeans and a comfy shirt. She nearly always dresses me up in various skirts, does my make-up and my hair and for some weird reason guys seem to like it. I mean, how can it be that more guys try their luck with me than with her? Rachel is enjoying that just a little too much if you ask me. But it is so difficult for me to say no to anything she wants. When she looks at me with those puppy eyes, I nearly always start feeling all mushy. I'll never be very good at refusing her. She's so wild and fiery, and such a great kisser. I'm addicted to her."_

"Lucky you, Chloe. I bet she screams your name during sex, am I right? I am right! No, I haven't been secretly watching you. It's just that I can see it in your eyes. Also, you are far prettier than you seem to realize. Alright, I will stop embarrassing you, let's dance! Elaine and Rachel are waiting for us. But I get you first, Price."

* * *

With only a few minutes left in 2013, Rachel was all over Chloe. She wanted to celebrate the turn of the year with the love of her life like she had never celebrated it before. Her thoughts had briefly returned to the previous year, when this event had been a whole lot less festive for her. The trial in 2014 was likely going to bring back some bad memories, but Rachel knew it was necessary to go through it all in order to get justice.

Just a year earlier, she had been imprisoned in the Dark Room when Nathan Prescott had arrived to supposedly "celebrate" the turn of the year with her. Mark Jefferson had been absent and did not return for a few days more, leaving her at Nathan's mercy.

The dose that Nathan had administered to her had left her blacking in and out of consciousness. But despite that, the partial memories of that horrible evening were bad enough. Nathan had left her wearing nothing but panties and a bra. He had taped her wrists together at the back of her head, leaving her no defense against his actions.

She remembered that Nathan was drinking, and he was likely on drugs too. Though she could not recall if Nathan had actually managed to rape her that evening, she did remember that he had tried. He had tried for sure. Her memory on that was very clear. She could still recall him groping her all over, and fumbling around with his own pants. But for the rest, whatever happened would likely always remain unknown to her. And in this case, not knowing was probably a blessing. The doctors had also not been able to confirm whether any sexual assault had taken place during her ordeal, but they were also unable to completely rule it out.

Her fortunes had changed dramatically for the better. Now she was with Chloe and intended to passionately kiss her lover to celebrate her freedom, them being together, and the coming New Year. The countdown started… 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

"Happy New Year", the crowd shouted. Chloe and Rachel immediately started kissing each other. Rachel buried her tongue in Chloe's mouth, and Chloe reciprocated immediately. They both closed their eyes and kept their lips locked on each other's for as long as they could. They embraced each other as tightly as possible, especially Chloe who even briefly managed to lift Rachel off the ground. Chloe could hear Rachel moaning of pleasure, despite all the loud noise around them.

After several minutes, both women decided they needed some air. Max, Elaine and Steph had already wished each other a happy New Year, and had been waiting for Chloe and Rachel to finish. Steph grabbed Chloe by the shoulders, had her usual big grin on her face and gave Chloe a set of traditional New Year's kisses. "Happy New Year, Chloe. Damn, I thought you two were never going to finish. Is it always like that?"

_"Maybe not always, but often. I did say that Rachel is a good kisser, didn't I? She never misses an opportunity to prove it to me, and I love her for it. We're still making up for lost time. And we're going on a short break to Las Vegas next week."_

"I wish Elaine and me could come with you, but we got other things to do. But I'm sure that we will see each other often this year. Let us know if we can do anything to help."

At that moment, most of the crowd went outside to watch the fireworks display. Rachel leaned against Chloe and expressed her wish that 2014 would be the year in which they could both drive most of their demons away.

* * *

Just after three o'clock in the morning, both Rachel and Chloe were in bed, wearing pajamas. It had been a long evening, and they were both very tired.

Chloe had put an extra layer of covers on the bed, because Rachel had indicated she was not feeling so well. Chloe was a little concerned. _"I can't help but notice you look a little absent-minded, Rachel. I hope it's nothing too bad?"_

"I wish I could say that, Chloe. Not long before midnight, a horrible memory from a year ago flashed through my head. I couldn't help it, I didn't want it, but it just happened. It was stuck in my consciousness, and the only way to flush it out was to kiss you like I did. I'm scared, Chloe. I'm scared that this will happen a lot more often this year. Please don't let go of me tonight, I desperately need to feel your arms around me."

Rachel was in tears, sobbing audibly as she pressed her head against Chloe's chest. Chloe caressed her hair as well as her right cheek.

_"I'm here for you, my angel. I swear I will protect you, and hold you as long as you want me to. You are not alone, you are with me and I love you. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."_

Chloe gave Rachel a series of kisses on the top of her head. Rachel embraced Chloe as tightly as she could, further pressing her own body against that of her fiancée, seeking refuge in the safety of those familiar and welcoming arms.

"Chloe, do we still have those night lights that were in your room back in Arcadia Bay? I think it would help me if we had some light in this room."

_"Yeah, I brought them here. They're in one of the drawers, I'll get them and plug them in immediately. Anything that will help you, I'll be right back."_

Chloe rushed to find her old night lights. Not much later, the night lights were on, making it easier for Rachel to see Chloe's face, and giving her the reassurance that her lover was watching over her.

"I'm feeling a little better already. Being with you always seems to help, and I can't think of somewhere I'd rather be. You are so good at making me feel comfortable."

_"Don't thank me, Rachel. This is what we do, remember? Together. I'm not going to sleep until you do. We'll figure out how to keep your bad memories at bay, somehow. The best way I can think of is to continue creating new and good memories for both of us."_

Not much later, Rachel was asleep. Chloe kept watching over her until she could no longer deny her body the sleep it craved.

* * *

The next few days went by very quickly, and were largely uneventful. Chloe spent a few days working at the diner, taking Rachel with her to make sure she didn't have to spend a single moment alone. Everything had been arranged for their short holiday to Las Vegas.

Once they arrived at Treasure Island Hotel, they checked into their room. _"Rachel, if your dad wasn't paying for this, we would be spending way beyond our means. I mean, we seriously couldn't afford to do things like this."_

"I know, my angel. But we are here to create more memories, happy ones. This hotel has got everything, a spa, an indoor pool, you name it!"

_"Did the lady at the reception really say we were going to get breakfast in bed every day? I hope they don't show up too early, if you catch my drift."_

Chloe gave Rachel a wink, which was immediately returned. They understood each other very well. Chloe insisted they go outdoors. She and Rachel held hands as they walked past the large hotels and casinos located between McCarran Airport and the Arts District.

_"This is so impressive, Rach. I never expected to see this in my lifetime. I feel so small, and the world is so big. Sometimes I think that a place like this is just going to swallow me up, and that'll be it."_

"Right, but if it swallows you up, it had better take me as well. I never expected to be able to enjoy things like this with a real friend, such as you. Much more than a real friend, you have given me everything I could ever have hoped for. You truly are an angel. My own personal blue haired guardian angel, keeping me safe."

_"Just a moment, Rachel. I thought I saw some guy making pictures of us. I can't see him anymore. Never mind, maybe I was just imagining it. I can be a little paranoid."_

"Maybe we should go back to the hotel. It's getting a little chilly if you ask me. But there's a clear sky, look at all those stars, they're so beautiful."

Back in the hotel, Chloe and Rachel checked where they could find the indoor pool, which they planned on visiting after breakfast the next morning. Once back in their room, they both changed for the night. Rachel saw Chloe checking under the bed. "What are you doing, C? I don't think there's anyone under there if that's what you were thinking."

_"Just looking, Rach. You know, the more I think about it, I wasn't imagining that man photographing us. It was real. And I just recalled that I saw something similar happen last week outside the diner. I think someone is following us around."_

"Who would want to do that? What's so interesting about us? I mean, apart from you being really cute?"

_"I'm still working on that, but right now it's time to go to bed. I didn't come here to talk about creepy stalkers."_

Rachel started pushing Chloe onto the bed, and immediately got on top of her lover, looking longingly into Chloe's eyes. As usual, Chloe was unable and unwilling to offer meaningful resistance. "I'm gonna start with warming you up, miss Price. Come here my loyal spirit."

Rachel's kisses had their usual effect on Chloe. Rachel stripped herself down to her undies and started on Chloe. Slowly but surely, Rachel's sensual moves on top of Chloe had the desired effect. Love and tenderness started giving way to lust and limitless desire. As Rachel went down on her lover, Chloe kept saying her name, ever louder. Chloe then worked her magic with her hands, eventually allowing Rachel the release she so desperately desired. Rachel lost control of herself and Chloe imagined she was in heaven.

* * *

The next morning, there was a knock on the door. Both Chloe and Rachel were still in a state of slumber. Another knock followed. "Room service". The ritual repeated itself a few times. Finally, Chloe woke up. Suddenly she realized there was someone at the door. Chloe was aware that she and Rachel were both as naked as the day they were born. She quickly put on some of the clothes that they had left on the floor, and opened the door.

"Room service", a young lady repeated. Chloe tried to explain. _"Oh hi, you can put it down there, sorry for making you wait, we were still asleep."_

"That's not a problem, it happens all the time around here. Have a nice day!"

The young lady left the room and Chloe quickly closed and locked the door. Rachel had woken up too. _"Our breakfast is here, Rach. Stay in bed, I'm coming right over"._ Chloe undressed herself again and brought the breakfast tray. Soon Chloe was back in bed, with Rachel cuddled up to her on her right, and the breakfast tray on the left.

Chloe picked up the orange juice, put two straws in the glass and held the glass in between herself and her lover. In no time, they had emptied the first glass. _"They actually have strawberries, Rach, you want some?"_

Chloe attempted to feed Rachel the first of the strawberries, but Rachel instead held it teasingly in her mouth, daring Chloe to come and claim half of it. Chloe carefully leaned in and bit off half the strawberry. Their lips touched. "Nice", Rachel said. "That tasted really good, all of it". Rachel licked her lips in anticipation of the next piece of fruit. Chloe was amazed that Rachel seemed able to make even the simple act of eating breakfast fruit feel all hot and sexy.

They finished the rest of the orange juice, the crackers and saved some of the fruit for last. Afterwards, with the breakfast tray out of the way, Rachel was back to kissing Chloe. It was much lighter in the room now, and Chloe could now clearly see the bitemarks that Rachel freakin' Amber had left on her arms. Happy thoughts passed through Chloe's mind, remembering how her blonde haired angel had truly lost control of herself the previous night.

 _"Let's go to the indoor pool, Rachel, we can swim a bit if you want"_. Rachel agreed and they collected their bathing gear before going downstairs. There wasn't anyone in the pool yet. They quickly changed into their bikinis and jumped into the pool. They swam around for a while, teasing each other, Chloe attempting to catch Rachel but the latter showed she had recovered enough physically to be able to keep her angel at bay.

They took a break from the pool and went over to the bubble bath. _"I'm hella happy to see you all physically healthy again. But it does make it harder to catch you"_. Rachel laughed at how Chloe pretended to look all disappointed. Chloe put her arm around Rachel and the two were soon all over each other, oblivious to anything that was happening around them. "Chloe, I just want to say I love creating happy memories with you. I don't care who sees us here, I just want to kiss you and feel your hands all over me, like now."

Chloe and Rachel only had eyes for each other. But suddenly they heard a big splash in the pool, followed by another. They looked over and saw two young men seemingly competing in trying to swim as fast as possible. _"Oh no, Rachel. Wanna bet they're gonna come over here and try to hook up with us?"_

"Like they stand a chance, neither of them has what you have, my love. Just look at them… wait… what are they doing? Seriously?"

_"Fuck me, Rachel, they're kissing. Holy shit. They are… really into it. I've literally never seen two guys… Rachel, help me!"_

Rachel successfully distracted Chloe from the scene by seducing her lover with kisses of her own. Chloe was once again completely under Rachel's spell. Chloe felt Rachel's hands all over her. Several more minutes went by and Rachel accidentally loosened Chloe's bikini top, or as Chloe suspected maybe not so accidentally. She fixed the piece of cloth back in place whilst Rachel stared lustfully at her.

Not much later, the two guys joined them in the bubble bath. "Good morning ladies, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. My name is Gareth, and this here is my boyfriend Eli, we're both from Los Angeles."

_"Are you kidding? We're from L.A. as well. My name is Chloe and with me is my fiancée Rachel. We're pleased to meet you."_

"Fiancée? You two are going to be married? Wow, that is so cool". Gareth then looked at Eli and saw him agree. "I know you should never ask a lady her age, but you two look very young, not that it is wrong to marry young, love is love, right?"

"That's what my Chloe thought when she proposed to me. We'll both be 20 years old this year. But sometimes, you just know it's right. And Chloe, she really saved me last year."

"I'm 23 and Eli is 22. We've been together for almost a year now, this is our first real vacation. You know what we should do? We should exchange phone numbers so we can keep contact. And you know you have nothing to fear from us, but even I can see you're both very pretty."

"I'll take that as a compliment, and so does Chloe". Rachel looked at Chloe who was sighing audibly at what she perceived to be Rachel's latest attempt to make her feel awkward.

"I have to say, Chloe, that is one impressive tattoo on your arm. Eli, you agree? I think it really complements your look, your blue hair looks perfect with it."

The four continued to talk about random things for another twenty minutes or so, before Chloe and Rachel excused themselves and went back to their room to shower and change. They had exchanged phone numbers. Gareth and Eli had invited Chloe and Rachel to visit them in L.A. soon.

Back in their hotel room, Chloe and Rachel looked at each other and had to laugh hard. _"That was a weird experience… I so thought they were going to try and hit on us, until they went all touchy-feely on each other… sorry to disappoint you Rachel, but no Chloe being hit on by dudes for you today."_

"The day isn't over yet Price. But they were really nice, weren't they? Maybe we could be friends with them, who knows what can happen in the future". Rachel winked at Chloe whilst pointing at her lower abdomen.

_"What are you hinting at, Rachel? What do you mean about the future? Why are you… oh no… no… nooo… NOOO. You are so out of line, that's not funny. Stop laughing, like right now!"_

"It was just a joke, please forgive me, C. I was just thinking years into the future. Not about right now, of course not, we're not even married yet. But if we ever decide we might want to start a real family… sorry… I won't bring it up again…"

_"I will punish you for this. It's going to cost you. A lot. And a few kisses just aren't going to be enough. You better give me more of what I had yesterday… a lot more."_

* * *

A few days later the pair landed at Los Angeles Airport, meaning their little holiday was over. They had both enjoyed it tremendously, and as hoped for there had been a whole lot of intimacy, and a whole lot more than that. More happy memories.

Back home they found an invitation from the prosecutor's office to come and hear about the start date for the trial. Rachel immediately called her father who promised to come over at once, bringing his own lawyer, the one with whom Rachel had already worked extensively.

Within two days they were all in the prosecutor's office, and one of the assistants explained everything that was going to happen.

"The trial is set to begin on the 26th of February. The case has been assigned to the Federal Court in Pasadena. The thing is, the crimes committed by Mark Jefferson are spread over several states. New York State, Washington State and Oregon have all declared their interest and for reasons of impartiality it was decided to move the case to a different state, thus California.

There is some good news, and there is bad news. And even the good news isn't really good at all. Investigators in Seattle have identified what they believe to be the site where Mark Jefferson imprisoned and later killed the two girls that have been missing for some time. We have reason to believe that the find is legitimate and if the other part of the information miss Amber has provided to us also checks out, it will likely not take long before we find the bodies of those two girls. And that would give their families much needed closure.

Based on all the pictures that we have recovered from several sources, the case concerns no less than 37 victims. Three in New York State, two found alive and one missing. Six in Washington state, four found alive and two likely dead. And the remaining 28 in Oregon. All have been identified and found alive, including miss Amber here.

The most important charges against Mr. Jefferson will include murder, abduction, false imprisonment, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm, assault and battery. The drugging of his victims is considered assault by the legal system. If the investigation in Seattle confirms what we think it will, the prosecutor believes we can ask for the federal death penalty. And once we get the confirmation that everything checks out, the testimony of miss Amber will instantly become believable to any jury. It looks like the arrogance of Mr. Jefferson in the last weeks of miss Amber's imprisonment will become his downfall. He seems to have been unable to imagine a situation where miss Amber would be found alive.

The case against Mr. Prescott is far less clear cut. There are serious attempts by Mr. Prescott's legal defense team to try and cut a deal with us."

 _"You cannot be serious"_ , Chloe said angrily. _"No deals, you hear me? That little freak should hang. I'll kill him myself if I have to."_

"Please remain calm, miss Price", the assistant prosecutor answered. "It is of the utmost importance that we all remain calm under any circumstances. The case against Mr. Prescott hinges on a number of things, not the least of which is miss Amber's testimony. Now, once the Seattle findings are confirmed, that testimony will become very credible. It cannot be overestimated how important it would be if we can argue that the recollections that miss Amber does have are true. All of us here know that the entire story is true, but we have to convince a jury and a judge.

Nothing would help more than miss Amber being able to testify in a coherent, calm fashion. We will have to facilitate those circumstances as much as we can. The defense will try to put her under severe pressure, maybe even try to make her suffer a breakdown on the witness stand. Emotional outbursts are not going to help the case against Mr. Prescott.

Mr. Prescott will be charged with abduction, false imprisonment, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm, assault and battery. We cannot prove he was involved in the murders committed by Mr. Jefferson in Washington State. It seems that he was only involved in the part of the crimes committed in Oregon.

And there is another complication in the case against Mr. Prescott. He has been held in a prison hospital ever since he was found in the Dark Room. The defense will try to play up the angle that Mr. Prescott was a victim of Mr. Jefferson rather than an accomplice, and if all else fails they will likely try the insanity defense. They're looking at moving him to a psychiatric hospital. We will have some of our best contacts in the psychiatric world assess Mr. Prescott to make sure we are not being hoodwinked.

The judge is going to limit press access to the case to the bare minimum. But there is a chance that some material will leak to the public. It always does in cases like this. We must be prepared for all eventualities."

After another hour of discussing the details of the case, Chloe, Rachel, Rachel's father and their lawyer left the prosecutor's office. They had dinner together. Afterwards, Chloe and Rachel returned home.

Needless to say, neither Chloe nor Rachel felt in the mood for anything more than simply going to sleep as fast as they could. But just as they were preparing to do so, the doorbell rang. They looked at each other, and Chloe decided to open the door.

There was a man standing outside their apartment, he started speaking. "I'm sorry to interrupt, miss Price and miss Amber. I'm here strictly off the record. There is something you should both know."


	19. Santa Monica

**Santa Monica**

(Los Angeles: early 2014)

Rachel joined Chloe and they both stood at their open front door. Who was this man, and what did he want? The man had a look of concern on his face. Chloe and Rachel did not know what to say and waited for the man to start speaking.

"Please hear me out and let me finish what I have to say. The reason I am here is because I don't agree with what is going on. As you two may have noticed in the previous weeks, you are being followed. We were hired by Sean Prescott in order to get dirt on you both. But things have changed. The latest news regarding the finds in Seattle has caused serious concern for Mr. Prescott. He realizes that Mark Jefferson is likely done for, and by extension it means that the case for the defense of his son Nathan has been severely weakened.

It does not look good for a man of Mr. Prescott's reputation to be associated with someone like Mr. Jefferson, who was at the very least involved with the deaths of those girls in Seattle. To make things worse, Mr. Jefferson's name isn't on any of the documents regarding the construction of the Arcadia Bay Dark Room and the purchase of materials and equipment. Unfortunately for Mr. Prescott, the names of several of his businesses are on those contracts.

Mr. Prescott believes that he has a few options open to him. He has to try and ensure that Mr. Jefferson does not get the death penalty, or he has to have miss Amber's testimony completely discredited. Since these two options just became a whole lot less likely, he is focusing efforts on a third option. That means trying to find dirt on either of you, which Mr. Prescott hopes will open you up for a deal with him. His idea is to offer a substantial payment in exchange for testimony that does not implicate his son in any way. He would ask miss Amber simply to say she does not remember anything regarding Nathan, and any payments would be made through third parties that Mr. Prescott believes cannot be traced back to him.

The reason I'm here is because I can't be a part of that any longer. Please accept my apology. Before I go, I would like to state two more things. You'll be pleased to hear that so far we didn't find anything useable on either of you. But I also want to make it clear that I do not want to be identified, and will categorically deny everything if any of this is ever used against me personally. You won't see me again, please be careful out there."

Chloe and Rachel were both too stunned to speak, and the man disappeared within seconds of finishing what he had to say. Chloe closed the door and looked at her woman. Rachel said that she was scared. Chloe held Rachel tight and stated her views on the matter in the clearest way she could. _"We have to call your father first thing in the morning. He has to know. We can't let this affect us in any way. As you heard, they believe their case has been weakened. Rachel, we are winning. Don't despair. I'm here with you. Even if this is some kind of trick, we are going to win this. We will get justice for you and all the other victims."_

"I really want to believe that. I just want to get through all of this as quickly as possible. It's still scary, but with you around to keep me safe, I think I can do it. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being afraid."

Chloe escorted Rachel to the bedroom, and soon she was holding her angel in her arms. Chloe did not stop comforting and reassuring Rachel until the latter was completely at ease. Rachel always believed that Chloe's arms were the safest place in the entire world, and after being showered in kisses by her blue haired protector, soon fell asleep.

* * *

The very next morning Chloe immediately called Rachel's father and informed him of the previous night's visitor. Mr. Amber in turn informed his lawyer and they decided to brief the prosecutor's office at once. The prosecutor said he would open up an investigation and send a note to the judge, but couldn't promise it would lead anywhere.

Rachel remained somewhat unsettled during the remainder of the week, though she was happy to have some distraction in the form of rehearsals with her theatre group. On Saturday, she and Chloe visited fellow L.A. citizens Gareth and Eli, the gay couple they had met in Las Vegas. The very next day, Chloe decided to surprise Rachel by taking her to Santa Monica.

Sunday, around noon, Chloe and Rachel exited Big Dean's café where they had just enjoyed some hot coffee to warm them up on the unusually chilly afternoon. Chloe wondered if it had ever been this cold in Los Angeles before. They were just a stone's throw away from the Santa Monica pier, where they had already spent several afternoons and evenings. Both women were dressed in comfortable jeans, warm sweaters, practical walking shoes and winter coats. Chloe was also wearing her old beanie, whilst Rachel wore a shawl loosely draped over her shoulders.

Despite the two of them holding hands whilst walking, they drew little attention, which was so unlike what usually happened during many of their nights out in Los Angeles city center. Chloe was very pleased that they had the afternoon more or less to themselves. They planned on walking in a northwestern direction following the Ocean Front Walk as far as was practical, before they would return to the pier and go home.

_"_ _I've been wanting to come over here all week, Rachel. Because this is where it's going to happen, isn't it? One of those beach clubs over there… our Santa Monica dream. Let's forget about all that Prescott shit and focus on the good things that are coming."_

"Chloe, I like that idea. I agree, the ceremony should be held here. I hope the weather will be better when it happens. But I can't wait to make _"us"_ official."

_"_ _So far, Los Angeles is every bit the dream I hoped it would be. And that is because of you. I'm ready to start the next phase. I want what you promised me, more than ever before. I desire nothing but growing old with you, and making you happy. And that will make me happy. I don't mean that in a submissive way or anything, because we're partners. I mean that in a sense that I want to help you with your career, and support you whenever you need it. I want to dedicate my life to you, and that is my decision. You don't make me do it, I want to do it."_

"We've come a long way since the junkyard, haven't we? Back then, this was just a mirage. Something we talked about, something we dreamed of, but at some stages it must have seemed it was never going to happen. I just can't express how happy it makes me to be here with you. All the shit that happened in the past, we will put it behind us. We might not be able to forget it, but we'll give it a place. I admit that the late-night visit earlier this week unsettled me, even scared me a bit, but I won't let it defeat me. Not anymore."

_"_ _That's so good to hear. Now that Max and Steph are our official wedding planners, we should inform them we've settled on Santa Monica. They can pick one of those clubs over there. Hopefully we can set the date real soon, and start thinking about who we are going to invite. Like I said before, I would like to keep it relatively small. Family and best friends only. And maybe a few colleagues, but only people we know personally."_

"Agreed. Let's stick with what we discussed earlier. And let's pick a fantasy theme, get people to dress up, make it exciting. I'm still in for a Game of Thrones style ceremony. _"I am hers, she is mine"_. Something like that. I can't wait to see what you'll be wearing that day. I am in love with you, Chloe Price, and I should have realized it so much earlier."

_"_ _Let's focus on looking forward, my bride to be. I've been thinking about a wedding song, I mean we should both pick one, but I think I'll pick the same song my parents selected for their wedding. My mom told me everything about their wedding day. Playing their song is going to be my way of having something of my father present that day. I want to feel his presence in some way."_

"I want that too, Chloe. I would have loved to meet him, and from what you told me about him it sounds like he was an amazing father. We'll both cry, I think. And that's good, because they'll be tears of happiness. But we'll do the other things too, go to some rock concert afterwards and dance the night away… and then…"

Rachel winked at Chloe when she said it, and Chloe seemed to understand what Rachel meant.

_"_ _Cry, rock and fuck, huh. We should put that on a postcard, or something. I don't even know why I'm laughing now. But I am so looking forward to it. I want it to be the most amazing day it can be. Steph will tell our story, and Max will make amazing pictures for us, we'll never forget it 'til our dying day. But I'm going to insist on you calling me Mrs. Amber from that day forward."_

"Right. And I'll do the same, future Mrs. Amber. And then, when anyone tries to make a move on you, I can legitimately tell them to back off, because you'll really be mine. All those boys, and all those girls that have tried to hit on you in these last few months, each and every single one of them did so for the same reason. They all think you are beautiful, they can all sense what a wonderful person you are. But all of them are out of luck, because you are hella mine, and I am yours. I'll never stop telling you this."

_"_ _The day will come when these things will make me feel less awkward than they do now. I've also been thinking, maybe some time after our wedding, later this year or early next year, I want to start taking some classes. Evening school, adult high school, or whatever it's called. It's great that Blackwell gave us these honorary diplomas, but I want something I really earned myself. I want to try and make up for the lousy attitude I used to have regarding school. My empty and meaningless rebellion didn't work out so well, did it? Maybe I want to try and become a clothing designer, I'm already working on new outfits for the diner with the owner's permission."_

"That is so hot, Chloe. You are amazingly talented. You know how to fix cars, mend clothes, cook and so much more. I am privileged to have such a wonderful woman like you as my fiancée. You have way more talents than I do."

_"_ _Even if that's true, Rachel, your talents are really something else. You can act, and sing, and I believe you will go very far. Maybe you'll be famous one day, and we'll be able to live in a big mansion, and go wherever we want. I seem to recall you once had me dressed up as a stupid bird on stage and you promised me exactly that."_

Rachel's eyes lit up and she looked longingly at her blue haired babe. Chloe returned a nervous smile and giggled a little.

"Chloe, I remember it very well. I'll never forget the exact words I said to you. _"I swear to thee: we shall fly beyond this isle – the corners of the world our mere prologue."_ That's the promise I made to you, and I intend to keep it. But you were no stupid bird on that stage. No, you were the amazingly beautiful Ariel. Even more beautiful today. And I have more ideas for dressing up. Some of those ideas involve only you and me, in private."

_"_ _Now you have my attention, Rachel. What ideas are you thinking of? Just as long as it doesn't involve birds or dead poets."_

"I still have my cheerleading outfit, and it still fits. I could wear it, and give you a good show. It would be even better if you dressed as a football player or something. And once I get you in the mood, you would make your move and take me, bed, couch, wherever. But I'm open to any ideas you might have."

_"_ _Can we start doing these things, like, really soon? Because now that you mention it, I got a few ideas of my own. How about you wearing a sexy French maid costume? I mean, a really revealing one. And I think you'd really look great as Margaery Tyrell from Game of Thrones, she is so amazingly sexy and beautiful, almost as much as you."_

"I like the way you think, Chloe. We think alike on so many things. If I ever make it to Broadway, or win some really prestigious award, I will dedicate it to you. I will tell the whole world that you are my precious and beautiful wife, and that I could never have achieved anything without your support."

_"_ _You're going to make me blush in front of all the cameras, aren't you? You know, Rachel, I can see that acting and singing are your passions, and I really hope that you can make it big. Because I'll be there for you, supporting you all the way. But even if we don't get there, I'll still be with you."_

"I feel the same, Chloe. I will always choose you ahead of any success. Like I said, I made you a promise and I will keep that promise."

_"_ _I think we've walked as far as we should today. We should go back soon, if we want to be home before dark. Shall we sit down here on this bench to rest a bit? I feel a little tired, and I think you do as well."_

"True, let me sit on you lap, Chloe. Let's press our bodies against each other so we can get some warmth. Put your arms around me and squeeze me tight."

* * *

Half an hour later, Chloe and Rachel were on their way back to the Santa Monica pier. Out of nowhere, a young girl ran past them, stopped in front of them and looked at them with inquisitive eyes. "Why are you two holding hands?"

Rachel smiled at the young girl. "That is because she and I are really good friends. And one day, you will have a really good friend like her too."

"Really? A boy or a girl?"

"It doesn't matter, does it? You will know once you meet him, or her. It will happen once you have grown up, like your parents. Where are your parents anyway?"

"They're right over there, mom is carrying my baby brother, and my dad is right next to her."

"I think you should go back to them, because if you stay away too long, they will miss you."

The little girl ran back to her parents, and Rachel looked at Chloe. "She looks like you, on one of those pictures your mom showed me. You were so adorable as a young girl. And your hair looked so different, almost like my hair, apart from the color."

_"_ _So she showed you all the pictures, did she? I should have known, my mom really liked all the pictures my dad used to make. But I don't remember you showing me many pictures of you as a kid. Do you have any? I want to see what my hot babe looked like when she was small."_

"I will show you, Chloe. I will ask my father to bring over some pictures the next time he visits us. I don't have any secrets, nothing to hide anymore. But don't expect too much, my parents were never really into pictures, not to the degree your parents were."

_"_ _We should hurry. It's getting colder out here. Once we get home, we should drink some tea, get warm, watch a movie or something. Maybe we can have something a little stronger afterwards. And then I just want to go to bed. I have the early shift tomorrow, and I want to be rested. Do you have rehearsal? Because if not, I'd prefer to take you with me, I like being with you."_

"Yes, I have to go to rehearsal, I'd love to be with you all day but I can't skip it. But thank you, Chloe, it feels good to know you're thinking of me, and that you want to keep me safe."

_"_ _I've thought of a plan, to help you in court with your testimony. I could sit right behind the prosecutors, so you could always look in my direction when you need support. You won't have to look at those two assholes any more than strictly necessary. Just breathe in and out, and look at me. That guy from the prosecutor's office was right, we need to be calm."_

"You are right, Chloe. I think it will help me a lot. I'm not sure of the schedule, but I guess they will call me in relatively early because my testimony is needed regarding the recent news from Seattle. Those poor girls, I think about them a lot. I hope their families will get some closure."

_"_ _Hopefully they will find the missing girl from New York too. But let's go home now. Do you have any particular movie you want to see?"_

"I always like the movies that you pick, Chloe. So I'll leave the choice to you. We could watch Blade Runner again if you want, or maybe something completely different?"

_"_ _Just as long as we don't have to watch Twilight or something. I just couldn't believe it when I found out you actually liked those movies. I mean, Rachel, seriously? I am not against romantic stuff but that is taking it a little bit too far. That dude doesn't even look like a real vampire. Real vampires should be scary, and amazingly sexy at the same time."_

"Don't knock it until you've seen it, miss Price. I'd love to be immortal, alongside you. We could be together forever. How does that sound?"

_"_ _That does sound really good. But only if you're going to marry me in that story. Forget about that pale vampire wannabe and take me with you when you fly beyond this isle, or however that dead poet described it. And no bird costumes either."_

"I kinda like it when you get all bossy, Chloe. You should take charge more often, because you look so determined once you decide you really want something, or really don't want it. But one day, I swear, I will make you watch all of Twilight. And you will hella like it."

_"_ _I accept the challenge, future wife. I realize you are able to make me do many things, but this is the one thing in which you will fail. No number of kisses will work in this case. I'll wear a vampire costume for you, but I will look like a real vampire. The sexiest vampire you have ever seen. And then I'll take the opportunity to bite you right back next time you lose control in bed. Once I have you, I won't let you go."_

"We are going to have so much fun together, Chloe. One day, we are going to be looking back on our lives and realize we made the bad stuff go away simply by flooding our lives with happy memories. We will overcome all the challenges, together."

That evening, Chloe mailed all the ideas she and Rachel had discussed to their wedding planners Max and Steph. Chloe picked the movie "Highlander" for her and Rachel to watch, a story of a battle between immortal warriors, which was one of her favorites.

* * *

The next day, Chloe was back working at the diner. She told the owner that she would soon present her ideas for a redesign of the waitress outfits. During her break, she called her mom, who informed her that she and David would likely be able to visit Los Angeles real soon, thanks to the support of James Amber and his wife. Chloe told her mother she was looking forward to it. There was not a lot of time left before the start of the trial.

Once her shift at the diner ended, Chloe picked Rachel up from rehearsal, and they drove over to UCLA to meet Max and Steph there. Steph's girlfriend Elaine was still working on a photography project with another classmate, and wouldn't arrive until later in the evening.

"I think we're looking at a wedding date in late October", Max said after the four of them had studied all the options. "Even if the trial lasts a little longer than expected, one of those dates should be feasible. And most places should still be available if we start making calls soon. Steph and I will start asking for quotes this week."

"That is a good idea", Steph added. "If we arrange it now, we will have some flexibility. And now that we know the theme, I can start thinking about the presentation I'm going to make. Chloe, Rachel, I will be the best master of ceremonies that I can be. And as for the wedding officiant, I think we should ask Mr. Keaton, I'm sure he's willing to get certified so that he can legally do it. You want me to ask? I can do that tomorrow, he's gonna be there at work, I do technical stuff for the theatre group."

Rachel took Chloe's hand and expressed her approval of Steph's idea. "Chloe, what do you think? I would love it if Mr. Keaton was the one that did the official ceremony. And he's someone we both know. But it's up to you."

_"_ _Yes, Rachel, I agree that it would be a cool idea. Steph, you can ask him. I can't think of anyone else, really. And better someone we know than some anonymous official that none of us has ever heard of. But I am not wearing any bird costumes, Rachel. Not again. I told you this yesterday."_

Steph told Chloe about how she experienced the Tempest play, now more than three years ago. "You looked really cute as Ariel, I remember it so well. I almost forgot to adjust the lights and sound during that scene, because I was so overwhelmed with how beautiful you looked. I was getting a little jealous of Rachel, I admit."

_"_ _Thanks, I guess. I only remember being really uncomfortable on stage, and I had so little time to prepare, read the script and remember the words. I think I nearly ruined the entire play. Seeing Rachel on stage is the only thing that kept me somewhat focused on what I had to do."_

Rachel gave Chloe a kiss on her left cheek, smiled at her and said she was looking forward to their wedding day. "It is going to be magical, Chloe, I promise. And you did not ruin the play at all, in fact you made it what it was, you inspired me to go off script. Didn't you see the reviews later? Everyone liked it. And you said yes, Chloe. I can't wait for the day our Santa Monica dream will become reality."

"I wish I had been there to see the play", Max said. "But I can tell you, I am so looking forward to your wedding, and as Steph said, now that we know the theme, we can start the preparations for real. And I know I've said this before, but we are not just going to help you plan the wedding, but we will also support you during the whole trial, if you should need it. That's what friends are for."


	20. Being protective

**Being protective**

"Good news miss Amber, our work here is finally finished. Nine months of labor have paid off. These last photos complete your portfolio. I'll still have to sort everything out, of course, which photos to include and which ones to discard. I really wish we could make all of this last longer, but I don't need you anymore. You will be pleased to hear I have thought of a method to dispose of you, so I can move on to my next model".

Rachel's wrists were taped together behind her back, but the effects of the latest dose she had been given by Mark Jefferson were wearing off. She was aware of what was happening, though she wished that she was not. Mark Jefferson was searching between the documents on his desk in the Dark Room, Rachel could see that he stuck something in one of his pockets.

"I told you that two of my models in Seattle died, did I not? You want to know how it happened, miss Amber? I have to admit I got a little carried away because I had two models at the same time, I should try that again soon. I think the two Seattle girls were best friends, maybe even lovers, but it does not matter either way. I just wanted to play a game with them, so when I was done with my art, I decided to strangle one of them, forcing the other one to watch. Just because I could, there was no plan behind it, really.

The second girl had to die alone, but you have to make sacrifices for art, I'm sure you agree. But it was still quite the thing, I think it was. Beauty morphing into tragedy, can you see it? It's a real shame I was not able to make pictures of it at the same time. And the girls? Perhaps they are now fucking in heaven, and if so I am sure it will be more passionate than anything Nathan ever tried doing to you, I feel really sorry for the boy, lust gets you nowhere."

Mark Jefferson turned to Rachel, and showed her a piece of rope, his intent was clear. A desperate panic took hold of Rachel, but in her weakened and restrained state, she was unable to prevent him from wrapping the rope around her neck. Mark Jefferson then pulled a picture out of his pocket, the very same one he had just stuck in there moments before.

"Look at this, miss Amber. You recognize her, don't you? Yes, she is going to be my next model, Nathan is collecting her as we speak. It's a real shame I did not have you and her in this Dark Room at the same time, but we have passed the point of no return when it comes to that. But I promise, I will show Chloe Price every single one of the pictures I made of you, just as I am showing you her picture now. Just one moment, what's that I hear? It seems your phone is ringing again. Let me check."

Mark Jefferson walked over to the table and picked Rachel's cellphone up. He looked at the screen, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Let me show you, Rachel, once again it is her. This makes me so happy, I almost think your precious lover knows what is happening now. I will make her appreciate the kind of art I am producing here, as I made you appreciate it.

I still love that ringtone you have installed on your phone... of course, you know this scene is not real because no cell phone signal can ever get in or out of this location. Just how stupid do you think I am? The Dark Room was built to be impenetrable. Me and Nathan are the only ones who can get in, and only a complete idiot would let the police be able to trace the phones of his victims... I mean models... sorry about that."

Mark Jefferson started tightening the rope around Rachel's neck. As Rachel was gasping for air, Mark Jefferson lost control of himself and laughed. His laughter was deafening... Rachel was blacking out. Her vision was getting blurry, and she knew the end was near.

* * *

**(Los Angeles: February 2014)**

A loud scream sounded in the bedroom. Followed by another one. And then another one. Chloe woke up and immediately realized what had just happened. She saw Rachel next to her in a desperate panic, her body was spasming out of control. Rachel was audibly breathing in and out as if she had just finished running five consecutive marathons without rest. _"Rachel... Rachel... what's happening? Did you have that nightmare again? Rachel... please... look at me... I am right here with you... look me in the eyes... it's me, Chloe..."_

After a few minutes of not being responsive, Rachel finally managed to look her blue haired companion in the eyes, and without saying anything she moved as close to Chloe as she could. Chloe immediately wrapped her arms around her terrified looking angel. Chloe did not need to ask again about what had happened, Rachel's face betrayed the answer… that nightmare… again. The one she had told Chloe about the week before, when she had it for the first time. The one with the weird and terrible ending, the ending that fortunately never happened… though the nightmare itself was anything but fortunate.

Chloe knew better than to start a conversation with Rachel, this was a time for giving quiet comfort. All she was going to do was cradle her blonde beauty until she was calmed enough to go back to sleep, if she could still manage to do so. Chloe thought about the idea she had been playing with for a few days now, and she determined it was time to talk to Rachel about it the next morning.

* * *

It was getting light outside and Chloe got up out of bed to make breakfast for her girl. She made tea, poured a glass of orange juice, added a small bowl of breakfast fruit and prepared some toast with the brand of strawberry jam which she knew to be Rachel's favorite. She brought the breakfast to the bedroom where her favorite blonde was waiting for her to return. As Rachel started on her breakfast, Chloe explained her plan.

_"Rachel, I know you're scared, and so am I. What happened last night is making me feel terrible, and I'm sure it's the same for you. Your testimony in court is still a few weeks away and I fear that your nightmares will only get worse until then, and I don't like the idea of you spending time alone brooding over all these matters. Simply said, considering everything I simply don't want you to be alone at any time. For the last few days I've been working to arrange for someone to be with you at all times. I've talked about this with Steph and Max and they agreed with me. I did this because I realize you can't always come with me to the diner. No matter how much I desire to hold you in my arms non-stop and keep you safe there, I know that is not feasible."_

Chloe softly rubbed Rachel's left arm and caressed her long blonde hair. Her girl was so gorgeous, but this was not the time for the sexier variants of intimacy. Rachel needed her help and Chloe was going to do the best she could. She was gearing into full protector mode. She would have no mercy for anyone who would even think about hurting her fiancée. Rachel could clearly see how serious Chloe was about this, she even knew that if Chloe could figure out a way to beat her nightmares to a pulp, she would do just that.

_"Rachel, please, if you don't want to do it for yourself I'm begging you to do it for me. Let me arrange this as I have proposed. I really would feel much better if someone was with you during times when I am not able to. I am convinced things will get better after the testimony, but let's work to ensure you are as comfortable as can be until then."_

Rachel had finished her breakfast by the time Chloe was done talking. She moved towards Chloe who once more instinctively put her arms around her body. "You are so adorable when you are trying to protect me, Chloe. I agree with your proposal, I can see it would give you peace of mind. It will also make _me_ feel better to have someone around at all times. You have the late shift today, right?"

_"Yes, and because I know you don't have rehearsal, I called Steph to see if she had time today, and she's agreed to come over here to keep you company. She says she is very happy to do it. There are a few others who are keen to help us, Max of course, Steph's girlfriend Elaine and also Gareth and Eli whom we visited recently. I took the liberty to ask them all, and they agreed to help if needed. I hope you don't mind I planned this whole thing out already."_

"I don't mind at all, Chloe. I love you so much, and I'm happy Steph will be keeping me company today. I've been wanting to talk to her for some time, and this will allow me to do it. Please, baby, I don't want you to worry about me the whole time, it would make me happy if you were able to focus on your work today, I promise I will be fine, thanks to you".

Chloe quickly changed into her waitress outfit and the couple sat on the couch awaiting Steph's arrival. The best Dungeon Master Arcadia Bay ever had arrived precisely at the time she had agreed with Chloe. "Looking good there, Chloe. I've been wanting to see you in your outfit for some time, and I have to say it doesn't look bad at all. The skirt could stand to be a little shorter, if you catch my drift, but overall, quite nice."

_"Thanks for that, Steph, as always. I'm sure you'd also want to see more cleavage. I'm redesigning the diner's outfits, if you must know. But they'll still be waitress outfits, not something strippers would wear. Besides, I'm not the only girl working at Dan's Diner. And Steph, do you ever stop thinking about these things? Anyway, I really have to go now otherwise I'll be late. Dan is tolerant considering the situation, but there are limits to any man's patience. Rachel, I promise I will come back home the moment my shift ends."_

Chloe embraced Rachel and gave her a series of kisses, she wished it could have lasted longer but unfortunately time was not on her side. Maybe later it would be different. Now it was time to turn her girl over to the protection of Steph.

* * *

With Chloe off to her place of work, Steph and Rachel sat down on the couch. "I'm glad you're here with me, Steph. What shall we do today? We can just sit here and talk, but maybe there's something we can do? You could help me with a script reading, I have here a copy of the latest play our creative director selected for us to perform."

"Yes, Rachel, that is such a good idea. I would love to do that. Though first I have a confession to make. I'm not sure it's really appropriate to talk about this now, but I had a major crush on you three years ago, and at the same time I also had a crush on Chloe. Back at Blackwell there were many girls and a few boys too that saw me as Gandalf the Gay, Arcadia Bay's gay agony aunt. But what few people know is that I had my own agonies too, and no one to discuss them with. You probably won't believe me but Elaine is my first real girlfriend, not counting the one-night-stands I had in what passed for Arcadia Bay's gay nightlife, which wasn't ever really much to begin with. But still, it was better than nothing."

"I don't have a problem talking about that at all, Steph. And I'm not the least bit offended. I'm quite flattered actually, you are very cute after all. But I won't cheat on Chloe, I mean, not again, after everything that's happened."

"I heard things got quite intense for the two of you. Everyone knew you two were a couple. I was a little sad at the time when I found out my two crushes were with each other, but I could sense that it was right for you two to be together. I was able to move on, and Chloe even asked me for advice a number of times."

"Chloe told me about that. I made a lot of mistakes in the two years after I met her, especially when I started descending into drug use, and I made very poor choices in terms of putting my trust in the wrong people, when I should have stuck with Chloe always."

"Rachel, don't say these things. No matter how bad your choices were, no one should ever have to go through the sort of thing that happened to you. How are you dealing with it today? I know I'm here to keep you company, because Chloe asked me to, but how are you doing physically speaking?"

"I'm more or less fine. I've had several months of intense physical therapy to help me walk again, and to rebuild muscular tissue. Not the bodybuilder kind of course, but regular muscles. My current physical therapist is still helping me to balance out muscle tone on my legs, as well as my arms. I've had light therapy to get my eyes used to the cycle of day and night again. Me and Chloe both went on a healthy diet and we stopped doing drugs altogether, if you don't count cigarettes and alcohol. Physically I couldn't ask for more. I've even got my tan back."

"Chloe told me about your nightmares. It must be terrible to relive some of those moments over and over again. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

"It's not something I asked for, but unfortunately the nightmares keep happening. I hope that when the trial is done they will become less intense and less frequent. The therapist that Chloe and I are visiting regularly thinks that there is a good chance things will get better for me, I certainly hope so. I'm just glad that Chloe is always there for me at night to hold me and comfort me when I need it. She is really protective of me, and I am so privileged to be with her. I sometimes feel a little evil for being so possessive of her."

"I've noticed that you are very possessive, in a good way, as far as I can see. Chloe told me she thinks you enjoy seeing her get hit on by dudes, is that true? And how do you feel about girls making moves on her?"

"Actually, I don't enjoy it all that much, though I must admit I don't hate it. The part I really like about it is that I can step in, give her a long-lasting kiss and telling the person in question to back off because Chloe's mine. Maybe I should be less possessive, but I just love my blue haired pirate so much, I just get jealous even seeing her talk to someone that isn't me. I guess you can say that I am as possessive of her as she is protective of me. It seems to work for us."

"That's a nice feeling isn't it? The dynamic between me and Elaine is somewhat similar. She is passionate, and really fiery and dominant in bed, a true Latina, and I love her for it. Sometimes we have weekends where we don't leave the bed at all. But I get my turn from time to time, and I can make her melt by weaving tales about the things I'm going to do to her, or sometimes about what I wish she would do to me. Years of being a Dungeon Master have paid off very handsomely indeed."

Rachel laughed when seeing the big grin on Steph's face. And after enjoying some coffee together, the two girls continued their discussion.

"I feel safe telling you this, Steph, I'm usually the one on top when Chloe and I fuck, but during our first time, she simply wouldn't let me. And I had no choice after having confessed my sins. We've had a lot of hot sex ever since, but that first time, I will never forget it. I do wish she would take charge more often, but I guess that's just not the way our dynamic works. Our personalities are quite different, and yet I feel the two of us are very compatible. I am highly ecstatic about how things are working out for us. She's even getting comfortable making out in public."

"So you like showing her off, yes I sort of suspected you did. It's not a problem in my eyes, because why wouldn't you? You have one of the prettiest girls in the world in Chloe, I don't blame you for wanting to let everyone see. And speaking of that, I've some news about all the wedding planning Max and I have been doing for you this week.

You'll be pleased to know that Travis Wilbury Keaton has agreed to be your wedding officiant, after I asked him nicely. Yes, those are his first names, I made him fill out the forms and he's going to City Hall to make it official. I could tell he is really excited about it, and thinks you're the most talented actress he's ever worked with. And he was quite impressed with Chloe too, and thinks your Tempest scene is the most magical thing he's ever seen. He thinks you belong on Broadway, and his job as Saturn's second creative director is to get you there."

Rachel was blushing a little, which Steph thought was very cute. It was early in the afternoon and Rachel was starting to feel really good. Surely that was a sign that the plan her blue haired protector had come up with was working. Rachel's cellphone started making the all too familiar noises, indicating that several text messages were incoming. And who else than her blue haired angel was sending them? Rachel replied to the messages letting Chloe know she and Steph were doing very well.

"Steph, I like how Mr. Keaton believes in me. But Broadway? Surely that is still years away for me, and anyway, there is no way I would go if it doesn't make Chloe happy. We've reached a stage where I will make no decisions without involving Chloe, she and I do everything together now. I still hope I might get there, or be a singer in a band, but if Chloe and I ended up owning our own little shop far away from the bright lights of fame and fortune, that would make me just as happy. As far as I am concerned, her happiness is my endgame. I know she is so devoted to me, and wants me to be successful, but I don't want fame if it means she wouldn't be part of it. I want people to see what she means to me, I couldn't bear to be without her. I know she has her heart set on taking my name after the wedding, but I would really like to take her name too."

"I understand, Rachel, and I think I have got just the solution for that. You could both take each other's names, and yet she could still call herself Mrs. Amber, as she told me was her deepest desire. How does Amber-Price sound to you? I like it. It would make it official that you combined your names, and for day to day purposes either of you could still refer to yourselves as Mrs. Amber without invalidating any of it."

"That is a great idea, Steph, I will talk to Chloe about it. We'll both be Mrs. Amber and yet I will also get her name in my passport, which is what I want. I'm so glad you and Max are helping us with planning everything."

"The pleasure is ours, I can assure you. Do you want to start reading that script now? This here is your copy, right? Let's do this."

Time was flying by whilst Steph and Rachel took turns reading lines from the script, Rachel being obviously more experienced in doing so, but Steph really enjoying being able to help distract Rachel from the less pleasant things that had happened.

* * *

In the meantime, Chloe's shift at Dan's Diner had ended. It had been another uneventful day. Busy, sure, but uneventful. As soon as she could Chloe was on her way home, stopping only briefly to buy some flowers.

Chloe entered the apartment finding Steph and Rachel still reading lines from the script. Rachel saw Chloe coming and immediately got up to embrace her favorite blue haired waitress. "Are those red roses for me, Chloe? They are beautiful, to what do I owe this?"

To Steph's amusement, Chloe started blushing. _"Rachel, I promised you, remember?  It's going to be four years ago this year that I said I would get flowers for your dressing room."_

Steph looked at her watch, and told Chloe and Rachel that she would have loved to stay for dinner, but Elaine was waiting for her at UCLA and she really had to go. After thanking Steph and showing her out, both Chloe and Rachel sat down on the couch. _"Remember when I brought you your belt? You said it was customary to bring flowers for an actress' dressing room, and I didn't have any. I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this."_

"Seeing you mill about after giving me my belt is still one of the cutest things I have ever seen. I think I saw you experience a little gay panic seeing me in my bra, before I put on my shirt. I will never forget that look on your face, Chloe. We were still so young, I was only 15 at the time, and you were 16 if I recall correctly, almost four years ago. Time sure flies, doesn't it?"

 _"_ _I knew almost from the start that I was hella gay for you, Rachel. I still am, even more so today. I'm already counting down to the day I will become yours forever, and you will be mine."_

Rachel could clearly see Chloe wished the next eight months or so would pass quickly. She had to admit to herself it was also her desire. Their wedding was something she loved looking forward to, and yet was already nervous about, as obviously was Chloe. So many things could still happen in the time before it would finally take place.

"You are my only one ever, Chloe, the only one that counts, you made me a woman in every way possible, you saved me more than anyone ever could have. I've been thinking, where should we go on our honeymoon? Do you want me to try and guilt trip my dad into paying for something really exotic or should we just go on a road trip to Mexico or something? Or maybe Florida?"

 _"_ _You promised me that we would visit the corners of the world as our mere prologue, or however you put it. I'd really like to go somewhere far away, yet still friendly. Australia maybe? Hawaii? I'd be down for that, and I love your idea of shaking your dad down some more. We were wrong when we said we would not take any of his money anymore."_

"Agreed, so let's attempt to drain my dad's wallet again. And speaking of that delightful activity, he's told me he has arranged and paid for your mother and stepfather to visit us soon, just after the start of the trial. They'll be here for the weekend after next."

 _"_ _I know, mom told me over the phone not too long ago. I'm looking forward to seeing her again. I've missed her, Rachel. I want her to see how happy we are over here. And I think the new waitress outfits are going to be ready very soon. Dan Romero, the owner, has approved the design and we placed the order today."_

"Will you be showing them to me, Chloe? I am so down for some sexy time with you wearing one of those outfits. And while we are talking about that, why don't we fill up our bath and relax a little. Your idea of making me feel better by having people keeping me company has worked today, I felt really good with Steph around, and she helped me with some script reading which was nice. Now you can help me feel even better by joining me for some otter time, as you call it. I can't wait to feel you use the sponge on me again. And maybe we should take a bottle of wine with us?"

 _"_ _That is a great idea, babe. Let's do this now. Another good memory for the both of us. I want to make you forget about all the bad things, and I want you to mark me as yours, Rachel."_

Rachel laughed and shook her head. "Bite me, Chloe."

 _"_ _That's your job, hot stuff."_

* * *

**(Present time: early 2020)**

Chloe and Rachel had just said goodbye to their friend Max, who had visited them once again. It was a few weeks after the turn of the year. Both of them were super excited now that Max had told them the baby she and Warren were expecting was going to be a girl, due within two months. Rachel suggested to Chloe that they start thinking about presents for Max's future daughter and Chloe agreed they should go shopping soon.

 _"_ _Rach, I'd buy her the complete set of all the children's books Kate Marsh has written so far, but remember that Kate already promised to send Max some copies? Maybe we should think of giving her some outfits for the little one, a pirate costume maybe? Or is that too early?"_

"Let's wait until the little one is born, right? And it reminds me, we have another decision coming up. A really big one. I told you about it a while ago. We've barely started performing our latest play, and it's already a real success. Mr. Keaton tells me there is some early interest from Broadway. But if we were to accept that, it would mean I could not perform with my band anymore, as rehearsal and performances would take up all my time.

I'm really torn, Chloe. I love singing, and I love stage acting. I don't want to abandon the band now that our debut album is doing well in the scene, but it looks like I won't be able to postpone this choice much longer. What would you do? Go to Broadway if they come through with an offer? Or stick with the band?

 _"_ _You're asking me to make that choice? It's really difficult, Rachel. I can see you love both these things. But if I am allowed to be blunt, I've thought about this choice since you mentioned it to Max, Kate and Victoria in the gallery. I would really prefer it if you picked Broadway, if the opportunity came. It would mean a fixed location to work at, which would give us some stability, and we could always come back to L.A. if the run ends early. If you go with your band, performances might take you all over the place, meaning you'd be on the road the whole time. I'll go anywhere with you, but I told you what my choice would be."_

"You are right, Chloe, it is a difficult choice. I always knew that this day would come. Once I started singing in that band I never expected it to be even remotely successful. The other band members will be disappointed, I suppose, but if the opportunity comes I am taking you with me to Broadway."

_"You're going to be a star, Rachel, and I am so fucking proud of you. I'm hella yours and I love you."_


	21. Always a Prescott

**Always a Prescott**

(Pasadena: February 2014)

The bailiff stepped forward and made the announcement. "All rise. The Court of Pasadena is now in session, the Honorable Judge Stanton presiding. Everyone remains standing until the judge enters and is seated."

The judge entered the courtroom and sat down. "Bailiff, which case is before this court today?"

"Your Honor, the case that starts today in the Court of Pasadena is that of the The People versus Mark Jefferson and Nathan J. Prescott, defendants."

"Thank you, bailiff. Now to the matter at hand. Is the prosecution ready to begin the trial?"

"Yes, we are, your honor."

"And are the lawyers for the defendants ready as well?"

"We are also ready, your honor."

"Very well. We shall proceed to start this trial. Will the clerk of the court please swear in the jury?"

The clerk turned towards the jury and addressed them. "Will the members of the jury please stand and raise their right hands? Does each of you swear that you will fairly try the case before this court, and that you will return a true verdict according to the evidence and the instructions of the court, so help you God, or so do you affirm?"

One by one the jury members said they would do as the clerk had asked them on behalf of the court.

After reading the criminal charges, the judge asked the lawyers for Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott to enter pleas on behalf of their clients. The lawyers confirmed their clients would plead not guilty on all the charges.

The judge then made some preliminary remarks. "Before the prosecution can make its opening statement, the court would like to address a few matters at hand. After discussions with the prosecution and the defense, media presence for this trial has been limited to the bare minimum required. The trial will begin and proceed in an orderly fashion, and any disturbances will be swiftly dealt with. If there are any further requests from the prosecution or the lawyers representing the defendants, the court will hear them now". Neither side submitted more requests and the judge asked the prosecutor to make the opening statement.

"May it please the court, and the ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the case before you today and in the coming weeks is an extraordinary one. The prosecution will prove to you that defendant Mark Jefferson is guilty of crimes against no less than thirty-seven victims. Abduction, false imprisonment, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm, assault, battery and murder. Two victims have recently been found dead. Furthermore, one victim is still reported missing and presumed dead. The defendant committed his crimes in no less than three different states. New York State, Washington State and Oregon. Evidence will be presented in court in terms of video, photographs, forensics, materials found in the defendant's possession as well as testimony from several of the victims and various experts.

The prosecution will also prove that the other defendant, Nathan J. Prescott, is guilty of being Mark Jefferson's co-conspirator in the crimes committed against as many as twenty-eight victims. Abduction, false imprisonment, conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm, assault and battery. The defense will try to portray Mr. Prescott as a victim of Mr. Jefferson rather than a co-conspirator. You will hear powerful testimony and see key evidence which will remove all doubt in terms of what role Mr. Prescott played."

* * *

**(Los Angeles: February 2014)**

_"Their flight is delayed, Rach. We're gonna have to wait here for another hour"._ Chloe was really looking forward to seeing her mom again, but the timetable in the arrivals terminal had confirmed what she already knew. Bad weather up north had delayed the flight her mom and stepdad were taking by an hour.

They walked over to the nearest coffee shop and Chloe sat down at one of the tables. Before she knew it, Rachel hopped onto her lap and put her arm around her blue angel. "At least there's one advantage, C. I get to stare at you from up close for at least another hour". Rachel leaned in for a kiss, which Chloe happily returned whilst moving her hand through Rachel's long hair. Chloe noticed that she hardly felt uncomfortable at all with this latest public display of affection, this was clearly going in the right direction.

"Can I get you ladies anything", a blushing student type looking waiter asked them. He was clearly somewhat uncomfortable interrupting the two young women showing their mutual love. Chloe ordered two coffees and not long after the young waiter returned and served up their order.

_"Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are, Rach?"_

"Well, I don't know, there's this blue haired girl that keeps fawning all over me and keeping me safe and warm. She's pretty hot herself, and hella sexy. I love making out with her, especially in public."

_"Any chance of that right now? I could sure use another kiss."_

"Come on, Chloe. Let's drink our coffee first, before it gets cold". Rachel laughed at seeing Chloe dreamily staring at her. Slowly but surely Chloe seemed to get structurally more comfortable around her. The hour of waiting time passed quickly and both women once more walked towards the arrivals terminal where Chloe's parents would be landing soon.

Chloe was holding Rachel's hand and the two of them looked around for any sign of Joyce and David. And sure enough, there they were. Joyce saw her daughter standing there and smiled at the sight of her baby visibly holding hands with her fiancée. Of course they were holding hands, it was a familiar sight, as they had done it very often when living in her house in Arcadia Bay. And Joyce saw in her daughter's eyes that her feelings for Rachel had only gotten stronger.

Chloe and her mother embraced, and she shook hands with David. Rachel followed Chloe's example and did the same thing.

_"Welcome to Los Angeles, mom. Sorry the weather isn't better but at least it's dry now."_

"I'm so happy to see you again. And you both look really happy, it warms my heart to see that. Should we drop our stuff off at the hotel first?"

_"I think that's a good idea, mom. Your hotel isn't far from where we live. You should take a cab there as I don't have enough seatbelts in my truck, and we'll pick you up from there and start showing you the city. And later in the afternoon we'll show you our apartment. It's real cozy, you'll like it, I'm sure of it. And David, I'll show you the truck, either today or tomorrow, I managed to repair it with a little help after the road trip situation with the leaking radiator and the coolant."_

"I'm looking forward to that, Chloe. It sounds like you could really be a good mechanic. And it is really good to see both of you again. I hope we can continue where we left off. I really do support your relationship, not all of us military types get worked up about the idea of two people being gay. Your happiness is what counts for me."

"Chloe and I appreciate it. It's good to see you both here now the trial has started. Our friend Max is watching the trial on our behalf."

Joyce looked towards Chloe after hearing the all too familiar name. "I take it you two are not going to see what is going on in Pasadena?"

_"No mom, we're not. Rachel and me will only head over when Rachel has to testify, and there is a chance I might get called in too on account of our investigation. Max has agreed to attend most of the trial and tell us what is going on. She says she's even going to be skipping a number of classes to do it, she is so cool for helping us out. She's still trying to make up for the five years of radio silence, even though I keep telling her I'm as much to blame for that as she is. Her photography has already made a serious impression around here, she's real talented and has already won the state photo competition."_

"Chloe, let's talk some more once we get to the city. David and I will go to the hotel and drop our things off there. Rachel, you should really thank your father on our behalf for arranging all of this, we couldn't have afforded it without him."

"I will, Joyce, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it's being appreciated."

* * *

Early in the afternoon, Chloe, Rachel, Joyce and David were sitting in a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. Joyce expressed that she was very curious to hear about Chloe and her job as a waitress.

_"It's going much better than I thought it would, mom. Diner owner Dan Romero and the other staff really helped to get me settled in and I found out I'm actually pretty good at it. A lot of that is thanks to you and the things you taught me last year. I haven't even flipped out at a single customer yet, and have only dropped one cup of coffee so far. I was even employee of the month in January. You were right, a little stability in my life hasn't hurt at all."_

"Your 20th birthday is coming up soon, Chloe. Your teenage years are almost over. And you two have already been through so much. Is there anything you want for your birthday? And speaking of celebrations, did you two set a wedding date already? David and I might need to arrange days off in advance."

_"I don't really want any gifts for my birthday. Just for Rachel to be able to get through her testimony without problems, so the whole thing can be over with as soon as possible. As for our wedding, Max and one of our other friends, Steph Gingrich, are helping us plan the whole thing. We've set a provisional date of Thursday, October 30th later this year. If all goes well that will become definitive very soon. Rachel and I are really looking forward to it."_

Rachel caressed Chloe's left cheek with her hand and smiled seeing a little blush on her face. "Chloe and I happily invite you both to attend. That goes without saying, of course. We want our immediate family and best friends all to be there. For the rest, we're going to try to keep it relatively small."

"I wouldn't miss it for any reason, and neither would David. And David understands that nothing will ever stop me from wishing William could have attended, he would have been so happy to see you making this huge step in your life. I do miss him a lot, and I probably always will". Joyce tried to wipe away a tear with her finger, and David offered her a fresh tissue.

_"Mom, I want to tell you a few things about what is going on with both of us right now. Rachel and I are still seeing a therapist regularly, thanks to her dad paying for it. It's helping us both to be able to talk about all the things we've gone through. I still suffer from some anxiety issues but it's partially under control now. We're also working hard to help Rachel deal with her nightmares, which is another reason why we want the trial to be over as soon as possible."_

"I can imagine it would not be easy to have to see those two bastards relatively up close in court. How are you going to be dealing with that, Rachel? Joyce and I couldn't even remotely imagine what that would be like."

"Chloe and I have agreed she will be there whenever I have to testify. She's going to be sitting behind the prosecutor's bench so I can always look in her direction should I need it. I think it will help tremendously to keep me calm and composed. The prosecutor has arranged for this to be possible. The reason is that part of the case will depend heavily on my testimony, especially on the details I do remember.

Mark Jefferson told me so many things in the closing weeks of my imprisonment, and often didn't even bother anymore to drug me up as he must have been sure I would not escape alive. During pre-trial discussions with the police and the prosecutor I was able to reproduce word for word everything he said about the two girls he killed in Seattle and the location he held them at, which has helped the police find their bodies, and enabled the girls' families to get closure."

"You are displaying exceptional bravery and strength, Rachel. I can see why my daughter is so into you. When I first saw you, almost four years ago now, I was worried you would be a bad influence on her. I knew you were the daughter of the district attorney, but there were lots of rumors about you. Today, I'm so happy to see I was wrong, and that you both seem to fill a critical need in each other. It's going to work out fine, I truly believe that."

_"Thank you, mom, for saying that. I believe it too, and so does Rachel. She gives me strength when I need it, and I give it back to her when she needs it. I can't wait to officially belong to her for the rest of my life. I'm hers and she's mine."_

"Joyce, how are things going for both of you? We've talked a lot about Chloe and me, but we haven't heard about what you two are doing these days."

"Nothing much has changed, Rachel. I'm still working at the Two Whales Diner and David is still at Blackwell. The renovation of Blackwell's buildings is starting in the spring, and the leadership headed by Mrs. Grant who is now officially the new principal has succeeded in securing new funding so they can maintain both Blackwell High as well as Blackwell Academy."

"Joyce has explained it well. There's a whole new atmosphere at Blackwell, as if a dark cloud has been lifted. And that's true for me personally as well. I've been working hard to be less suspicious of people, and less paranoid."

_"I'm happy to hear you're getting better too, David. I will never stop being grateful for what you did for me and Rachel. You saved us both, that's the one time where your suspicions and paranoia worked out well for us."_

"There was just so much going on in Arcadia Bay those days, and whenever something happened, you could bet that there was always a Prescott involved. It wasn't a surprise to me when I heard the day after we rescued Rachel that Nathan had been involved in the whole thing. I'll never stop regretting how I let principal Wells talk me into helping to cover for Nathan for so long. Wells told me the future of Blackwell depended on Prescott goodwill and we couldn't risk it."

_"Wells will be called in as one of the witnesses. I think all of us will hear things we never knew before. And a lot of familiar faces will be seen in the courtroom. I'm sure Max will tell us all about it, and of course Rachel and I will have to go there ourselves, probably soon."_

"We're almost done here. I think it's time Chloe and me showed you both our apartment. I hope it will stay dry but those clouds outside look quite threatening. And afterwards, you can go to your hotel and tomorrow we will take you to see Santa Monica, where Chloe and I will get married later this year. We both have a few days off now so we can manage to show you around there."

"I am going to love seeing Santa Monica. I've never been there. It's a really expensive part of town isn't it? And what about where you two live? Can you afford it? David and I would contribute if we could, but we're not exactly rich ourselves."

_"We can manage, mom. Rachel's dad paid for the rent until the end of this year, and we still have the money from the fund for the victims of Mark Jefferson. Rachel says we can easily last until the end of next year if we don't overspend, or if we can get her dad to pay for a few more things. Don't feel like you owe us anything, we love you and David at least as much as anyone else in our lives, if not more."_

* * *

_"This is the apartment building we live in. Let's go inside before it starts to rain. You and David can take the elevator if you want mom, Rachel and I will go by stairs. Go to the third floor, and turn right. Then through the door and head for apartment 359, that is our place. We'll get there earlier because the elevator is real slow these days."_

Chloe took Rachel's hand once more and the two of them walked up the stairs to the third floor. As expected, they easily beat the elevator to it. They passed through the door on the way to their apartment. Chloe spotted two men who were lingering about near their front door. She slowed down her pace and tried to see if either of the men were familiar to her.

After a few moments it suddenly dawned on her that the slightly smaller of the two men looked very familiar indeed. She had seen him before, in Arcadia Bay. It was none other than Sean Prescott. The other man was likely a bodyguard or something like that.

Sean Prescott looked towards Chloe and approached her. "Good afternoon miss Price, I would really like to discuss something important with you, and especially with miss Amber. I am here to make a deal."

Chloe briefly froze and panicked, but almost immediately regained her composure. She looked back at Rachel who was standing right behind her. "Rach, back up, go to the elevator and wait for my mom and David. I'll deal with this."

In full protector mode, Chloe turned back towards Sean Prescott. _"What the fuck are you doing here, asshole? You think we'll take your money? No fucking way. No deals, you hear me? That little scumbag of a son of yours should hang for what he did to my girl."_

"My son is sick, he needs help, psychiatric care. I will admit I delayed that too long, and I am sorry about the things that have happened. I'll gladly help to put Mr. Jefferson away forever, but you must have pity on my son. I realize now I didn't treat him as I should have, but it is not too late for him. He can still be redeemed."

_"Not too late? Are you fucking serious? He assaulted Rachel, repeatedly. She might not remember everything, but she does recall some moments. You are trying to make excuses for him? Like he is a victim? Nine months, nine fucking months of psychological torture and actual assault. You are so lucky I don't have a gun on me right now"._

Sean Prescott could clearly see Chloe was extremely angry, and was slowly moving towards him in the way a predator would approach its prey before striking. He signaled for his bodyguard to step in between them, which the bodyguard did.

Chloe stepped to the right to regain a clear view of Sean Prescott. Then the bodyguard grabbed her arm and held her in place. Chloe lashed out at the bodyguard with her fists and hit him a few times. The bodyguard struck back, hit Chloe hard and she fell onto the ground.

"Half a million dollars, miss Price, think about it. You and miss Amber could pay for the rent of this apartment for thirty years. All she would need to do, is testify she can't remember anything my son did to her. She can say whatever she wants about Mark Jefferson, I don't care, but spare my son. We can all deal with Mr. Jefferson together. We can right the wrongs, I even have contacts in Hollywood."

Chloe was in pain from the blow she had suffered, but could still understand everything very clearly. _"Go to hell, bastard. I'll kill that little prick of a son of yours myself if I have to."_

At that very moment, David Madsen and Joyce passed through the door and saw what was going on. David rushed towards Chloe whilst Joyce was holding Rachel. "Are you alright, Chloe? What have they done to you?"

David saw Chloe in pain and knew that she had been struck down by one of the men. Sean Prescott recognized David and addressed him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Madsen, I remember you, you used to work for me. Maybe you can talk some sense into your stepdaughter here."

"The hell I will. Whatever she said to you, I agree with it. And yes, I used to work for you, and there are very few things I regret more in my life. Which one of you hit her, I bet it was your goon here as you are too much of a coward to do anything like that yourself, you always have others doing your dirty work for you."

"I could offer you a better job than the one you have at Blackwell. All you people have to do is agree to my modest demand. I'm not even asking miss Amber to tell a lie, just to say she doesn't remember anything."

David Madsen analyzed the situation before him. Then all of a sudden, his anger got the better of him, he slammed his own body into that of Sean Prescott's bodyguard and the two of them ended up on the ground fighting, David Madsen having the clear upper hand. Chloe, who had recovered from the earlier blow, took the opportunity to run towards Sean Prescott and grabbed him by the throat. The sheer force she managed to apply startled the businessman and he was unable to get away from Chloe's grip. She punched him in the face with her right fist, and then again a few more times.

After a few more moments, the fighting stopped, and both Sean Prescott and his bodyguard backed away from David and Chloe.

David Madsen looked at Sean Prescott. "Go ahead, press charges. I'm sure the judge will love to hear how you intimidated a witness against your son. And your business associates will love to learn as well. I hope you lose everything, one day. And if you ever threaten my stepdaughter and her fiancée again, you will not live to tell about it."

Sean Prescott knew he had gambled and lost, badly. His desperate plan had backfired, as surely the judge and the prosecution would hear about it. Also, he knew David was right, there was no way he could press charges, because counter charges would be filed immediately. And an investigation was certainly going to follow. With the names of several Prescott businesses on Dark Room construction contracts he was already in deep trouble. Things just got a whole lot worse. He and his bodyguard fled from the building, Sean Prescott still unaware that a different associate of his had visited the Amber apartment earlier in the year to give away part of the game.

* * *

Once inside the apartment, Joyce and Rachel patched up the wounds that David and Chloe had suffered. "Always a goddamn Prescott", David said, still fuming. Joyce successfully managed to calm him down.

Rachel was worried about Chloe. "Are you alright, baby? Did he hit you hard?"

_"I'm fine, I'm more concerned about you, Rach. Please don't let them get to you. That is what they want."_

"I was scared for a moment, Chloe, but I'm not scared anymore. I have a guardian angel, and she's awesome, I think I'll marry her. I feel completely safe. But I'm going to have to cover up your bruises with some make-up."

_"I'll let you do that tomorrow if you want, Rachel. Right now we should just rest. I love you."_

Rachel and Joyce served coffee and tea. Chloe sat next to Rachel on the couch with her arm around her lover. David and Joyce sat on nearby chairs.

David tried to see the humor in the situation. "Chloe, you and I would make a good tag team in professional wrestling, if you ever wanted to consider another career."

Chloe smiled and agreed. _"We work together well, don't we? I'm happy about it, because I am tired of feeling angry. I used to hate you, I mean really hate you. But you've proven yourself, it's good that mom has someone like you around. I'm sorry for the things I said about you back then."_

"Just forget about it, Chloe, I have. Joyce and I could go back to our hotel later, but we can also stick around for the night, if you both feel you want to have us here, considering what just happened. It would be no problem at all."

Joyce agreed with David, and both Chloe and Rachel expressed their wish that Chloe's parents would stay in the apartment for the night. It would help make everyone feel better so it was an easy decision. Joyce helped Rachel to prepare the spare bedroom and all through the evening the four talked about everything. They agreed that the next day's planned visit to Santa Monica was still on.

During that same evening, Max Caulfield sent Chloe and Rachel an e-mail with her first report of the trial. She would keep them abreast of what was happening. Also, Max indicated that she would soon have some help in that department, someone who was coming over from Arcadia Bay for a few weeks.

Once in bed for the night, Rachel cuddled up to Chloe as she had done for most of the year 2014 so far. She told Chloe that she was very proud of her. After exchanging a bunch of kisses both women fell asleep, and would soon be ready for a new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, part of the trial will be covered from the POV of Max Caulfield.


	22. Days in court

**Days in court**

(Late winter and spring 2014, Max Caulfield POV)

It was another cold day in Los Angeles. For some unknown reason, the winter seemed to last longer than usual, even in this part of the world.

Max had woken up early. She knew what she needed to do that day. The same thing she did the day before, and the same thing she would be doing the next day. Max was determined to fulfill this promise she had made to Chloe and Rachel, and would head back to Pasadena to follow the proceedings in court so she would be able to send her best friend daily reports on what was going on. Classes would have to wait.

The first few days in court had been largely uneventful, mostly following the usual script of any case involving such crimes as had been committed. What Max had noticed above all, was the way the defendants had looked. Mark Jefferson looked healthy, was perfectly groomed and displayed an air of smug supremacy, reinforcing this by even the simplest gestures. Max had marked him down in her journal as a pathologically arrogant aristocrat. He was a man who was still in control of himself, even if he didn't control anything else anymore.

Max still remembered the first time she had seen Mark Jefferson. It had been the year before, in photography class at Blackwell Academy. She had even made notes about it in her journal. Max was embarrassed at how she had fawned over him, called him her inspiration and that she had actually written that she might want to marry him. That had not been a serious thought, of course not, but she could not deny that she had briefly been attracted to him. But that was then, before it had become clear who Mark Jefferson really was and what he had done.

But for some others, Mark Jefferson was still attractive despite what he had done, or maybe precisely because of it. Just the previous evening, Max had spotted a social media page supporting Mark Jefferson, and all sorts of disturbing comments on that page from people expressing a desire to be captured by him in every way possible, or even killed after a photography session. There were probably more such pages online, and possibly some of those also supported Nathan Prescott.

The pro Mark Jefferson social media page had caused Max to remember one thing he had told his students in class, she could still reproduce it word for word. "I could frame anyone of you in a dark corner, and capture you in a moment of desperation". Max now thought of that remark as extremely creepy, as if Jefferson had been making a covert confession of some sort in class, or an arrogant boast in the belief he would never be caught.

Mark Jefferson still looked exactly the same in court as he had done the previous year in class. The contrast with Nathan Prescott could hardly have been greater. Nathan did not at all look like he did the previous year. His skin was extremely pale and he looked sickly. Max had estimated Nathan had lost at least 20 pounds since she had last seen him. There were many things wrong with Nathan Prescott, but one thing that was never a problem as far as Max knew was his figure. He had not been in need of losing any weight, but had obviously lost it anyway, and looked all the worse for it. And his behavior struck Max as weird too, it was almost as if he was sedated, and he did nothing but stare at the desk he was sitting behind, his only visible movements being him caressing one of his own hands with the other. Max was convinced she saw Mark Jefferson look at Nathan with an air of extreme contempt.

Max's phone rang. She knew who was calling without looking. She had spoken with Warren Graham the week before, he was coming over to Los Angeles to help her with what she was doing. Warren had been part of _"CSI: Arcadia Bay"_ along with herself and Chloe, so it made sense that he would be around during parts of the trial. Also, it wasn't impossible that Max and Warren would both be called on to testify, at some point, and perhaps Chloe too. It would depend on how the case progressed, if all went well it might not be necessary. Rachel was going to have to testify for sure.

During the phone call, Warren told Max he would arrive the next day and that he had managed to arrange a room in one of UCLA's dormitories. After the call with Warren ended, Max texted Chloe that she was soon going to be on her way to Pasadena, right after grabbing some breakfast.

* * *

Max took a deep breath and entered the court building. As had been the case the day before, she was one of the first to arrive. After passing through the security checkpoint, she made her way into the courtroom and sat down on one of the benches directly behind the prosecution. She grabbed her notebook and a pencil and prepared to start making notes of all the important things that would happen in the courtroom that day.

The defendants and their lawyers were already present, as was the prosecution team. Slowly but surely the spectator area also filled up. At the scheduled time, the bailiff stepped forward. "All rise. The Court of Pasadena is now in session, the Honorable Judge Stanton presiding. Everyone remains standing until the judge enters and is seated."

After the familiar ritual was finished, judge Stanton called on the prosecution to present their next witness. The prosecutor stood up and called out the name. "The prosecution calls on Raymond Wells".

That name sure sounded familiar to Max. She recalled that principal Wells had seemed suspicious of her, especially after she had attempted to report Nathan Prescott for waving a gun around in the girls' bathroom. Max suspected that she was going to hear some familiar things being discussed in court.

After Wells had sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, the prosecutor started the questioning. "You are Raymond Wells, the former principal of Blackwell, having resigned after the crimes of Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Prescott became known?"

"That is correct."

"Mr. Wells, can you please tell the court, in your own words, how and why Blackwell decided to hire Mr. Jefferson at the time?"

"It is very simple, actually. We wanted to make a big splash and really get the name Blackwell out there. We had a plan to start a photography course, and Mark Jefferson had a reputation second to none. Above all, as an Arcadia Bay native it would essentially be a homecoming for him. All in all, we were very excited to get a really big name like his attached to our school. We noticed an uptick in student applications almost immediately."

…

"There was a note from a psychiatrist in your possession, recommending serious treatment for Nathan Prescott on account of what the psychiatrist called _"increasingly erratic behavior"_ , did you follow up on that?"

"I discussed the note with Mr. Prescott's father, Sean Prescott. But he did not want to hear anything about it. Plus, he specifically told me not to involve myself in this matter any further, if I didn't want to risk Blackwell funding. He would deal with his son himself."

"Did Sean Prescott blackmail you?"

"I wouldn't call it that."

"But there was clear pressure from Sean Prescott to make sure his son was able to maintain his spotless record, wasn't there? And this pressure caused you to dismiss the various accusations others made against Nathan Prescott."

"Yes, I would say that I felt such pressure. I simply could not risk the future of Blackwell."

"May it please the court to note that the files from principal Wells' office have been placed in evidence as exhibits 340-A to 387-H. To continue, Mr. Wells, as we just discussed, there is a long list of accusations levelled by a number of students as well as teachers against Nathan Prescott. Accusations such as possession of a gun, drug trade, attempted theft, cursing at teachers, throwing desks in class, physical violence and threatening the school custodian. You are saying that you never did anything about any of this?"

"I couldn't do anything. You don't understand what pressure I was under."

…

"Let me ask you a direct question, Mr. Wells, were you at any time, before the revelations, aware of what Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Prescott were doing to all those young women?"

"No, I certainly was not aware. And I can't state clearly enough how sorry I am for failing to protect all those girls from what those two gentlemen were doing. I'm sorry for everything."

Max wrote down in her notebook that the prosecutor seemed to have used former principal Wells to establish that Nathan Prescott had been involved in many incidents not relating to Dark Room activities. These incidents indicated that Nathan had been keenly aware of Wells' deferential attitude and had abused it to the maximum extent. This would help in pinning Nathan down as a willing co-conspirator rather than a victim himself. Max was however very surprised that Wells, despite claiming not to believe her at the time, had made a note about her accusation against Nathan regarding the gun and had placed it in his files.

During Wells' testimony, Max noted that Mark Jefferson looked bored, and Nathan Prescott displayed the same nervous tic every time he was mentioned by either the prosecutor or Wells. Max underlined in her notebook that she thought Nathan was not doing well at all, she almost felt sorry for him.

During the next few days, Max kept e-mailing reports of what she had seen and heard in court to Chloe and Rachel. Warren started to accompany Max to the courtroom, and would continue to do so as long as he was down in the Los Angeles area.

* * *

"The prosecution calls on Susan Levitt-Mitchell."

Max noticed a middle-aged looking woman entering the courtroom and proceeding to the witness stand. After the usual ritual, the questioning started.

"Mrs. Mitchell, you are the mother of Lyanna Mitchell, who disappeared in 2011 and was recently found dead alongside her friend Emma Henderson?"

"That is correct, Lyanna was my little girl."

"Can you tell the court how you first became aware that something might have happened?"

"Yes, it was spring 2011, about two years ago now. Lyanna had been very interested for a while in a modelling career, and she called me how she had met a photographer who could help her build a portfolio, and that she would go to see him that very Friday afternoon. I was a little apprehensive but Lyanna told me that the photographer had insisted she bring a friend in order to make her feel better about the situation. That put my mind at ease and I didn't think much more about it until she didn't come home later that evening."

"And what did you do?"

"First, we called Emma's parents, as Lyanna frequently stayed over at their place. Lyanna and Emma were close friends and would often decide to have sleepovers at the last moment. But rather worryingly, Emma's parents told me they had been about to call us to ask the exact same question. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson came over to our place, and we discussed the matter at hand. All our attempts to reach Lyanna and Emma by phone failed, it seemed their phones had been switched off."

"Did you report their disappearance to the police?"

"Yes, we did. The police told us they could not issue an AMBER Alert considering that not all the criteria had been met, however they would send out missing person bulletins immediately as they seemed to believe our suspicion that something serious had happened. We were given the name of a contact person with the Washington State Patrol."

…

"How did you manage to cope with the lack of progress in the investigation?"

"At first the Hendersons, my husband and myself were hopeful that maybe our daughters had simply eloped together. We found some letters and e-mails that Lyanna and Emma had sent each other indicating that maybe they were more than just close friends. None of us had ever noticed anything more than the two of them being good friends. But I suppose we'll never really know.

As the months went by we started losing hope. You try to be optimistic but the longer people are missing, the smaller the chance they will be found alive. At some point, you start resigning yourself to the inevitable, even if parts of you keep clinging desperately to that last shred of hope that you just don't want to let go of."

"Do you remember when you received the terrible news?"

"Yes, very much so. We had heard about a search near Seattle late December 2013, but it wasn't until January 2014 that we received a visit from one of the investigators alongside a member of the State Patrol. I'm sorry, I can't…"

Mrs. Mitchell wiped away a few tears. The prosecutor tried to comfort her. "Do you need a moment? A tissue perhaps?"

"No, I'll manage. It's still difficult to talk about, but at least in one way we've gotten closure, though I'll never stop wishing it had been different. Why wasn't I more alarmed when I last spoke to her? Did I miss any signs? What could I have done to prevent this?"

"Mrs. Mitchell, you are not in any way to blame for their deaths. If it pleases the court, in the coming weeks forensic evidence will be presented establishing beyond any reasonable doubt that defendant Mark Jefferson is guilty of the murder of these two young women. Mrs. Mitchell, we will see all this evidence, and we will also hear from the witness who gave us the details she was told by the defendant Mr. Jefferson himself during the closing stages of her own ordeal. Her statement to the police, the details she remembered have led us to the site where your daughter and her friend were found buried."

"I would very much like to thank this witness in person for giving us closure. And I hope this trial will bring justice for my daughter and her friend, that's all. I miss her so much. That man can't be allowed to get away with it, especially not considering the forensic evidence that has been found."

* * *

Max noted that at the end of Mrs. Mitchell's testimony it was completely silent in the court room, apart from a number of people unable to suppress their emotions. Warren, who was sitting next to her, clearly had tears in his eyes, and Max passed him a fresh tissue whilst putting her other hand on his shoulder.

Max made another note, she had noticed that during Mrs. Mitchell's testimony Mark Jefferson had not looked as calm and smug as he had in the trial up to now. In fact, Mrs. Mitchell was the first witness in whose direction Mark Jefferson had not looked at all. "They should hang you for what you've done", Max thought. And once more, she felt some shame for having considered him her hero barely a year earlier. The trial was starting to wear Max down, but she was determined to see it through. Chloe and Rachel had endured much worse times, after all, and they were still alive, unlike the two girls from Seattle who had it worst of all.

Day after day, an endless parade of prosecution witnesses, forensic experts, psychiatrists and more passed through the witness stand. Several of the witnesses were Blackwell students that had been victims of Mark Jefferson's Dark Room activities. To observers like Max, who had attended every single day of the trial so far, a clear picture was beginning to emerge. Max had overheard two legal experts discuss the case in the court's canteen, both of them impressed with the case the prosecution was building and how the defense lawyers seemed virtually unable to rebut or throw doubt on anything. But Max knew trials could sometimes turn on an obscure piece of evidence or the testimony of even a single person.

Early April, Max visited Chloe and Rachel in their apartment, bringing Warren along. The day that Rachel would be called on to testify was rapidly approaching. Chloe's scheme to ensure Rachel was in the company of someone at all times was also still being carried out, with Steph, Elaine, Gareth and Eli helping out whenever they could. Rachel felt much better, despite the occasional nightmare. Warren indicated he would be returning to Blackwell soon to complete his studies, having missed a substantial number of classes on account of helping Max document court proceedings.

Max told the others that Kate Marsh had called her confirming she would be called in as a witness the next day, as she had indicated a few weeks earlier. Also, Max had heard a rumor that there was another familiar witness coming, apparently under an immunity deal, but that was all she knew.

* * *

"The prosecution calls on Kate Marsh."

Kate had called Max the day before, saying she was as ready as she would ever be. She would join Max later that day to visit Chloe and Rachel. But right now, Kate was going to be the day's first witness in court.

"Miss Marsh, place your right hand on the bible. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Yes, I do."

…

"Miss Marsh, can you tell us in your own words what you remember about the events that led to the video and the pictures being made?"

"I can tell you what I remember. In the weeks leading up to the Vortex Club party, Nathan Prescott was constantly asking if I would attend. He was nice and charming, and I had no idea what he was up to. He spent quite some time with me, and he made me feel really good. I eventually agreed to come to the party.

At first the party seemed like good fun, Nathan behaved like a true gentleman, and he was bringing me drinks. I recall asking someone what time it was, and was told it was past ten o'clock. I don't remember too much about what happened the rest of the evening or the night after. There are flashes in my mind about being taken to the hospital, but I later found out that wasn't the case, far from it.

When I woke up in my dorm room the next morning I felt gross. I wasn't physically hurt but something had obviously happened to me. I didn't even remember how I came back to my own dorm room, but somehow I ended up back there anyway. I immediately went to have a shower and tried to forget that anything might have happened to me."

"Miss Marsh, to clarify, it was Nathan Prescott who spent weeks trying to get you to go to a party, and Mark Jefferson had nothing to do with those efforts?"

"That is true."

…

"What happened next, miss Marsh?"

"Not long after, some other students started referring to a video that had been made of me during the Vortex Club party. Some of them had been bullying me for some time, and after the video emerged it got a lot worse. I went to see the school nurse, who in turn promised to inform principal Wells, but nothing happened at all. I didn't even know about the pictures yet.

I got so depressed about what had happened, and that almost no one seemed to want to help me, except my friend Max Caulfield who is here today, that I started entertaining dark thoughts. Max tried to make me feel better by suggesting we should report everything to the police, which we did. Also, I approached Mr. Jefferson, not knowing how involved he had been, but he brushed me off in a rather rude manner.

I don't know why, but one day I decided it would be a good idea to try and end the pain and humiliation by jumping off the roof of one of Blackwell's buildings. And I would be dead if it hadn't been for Max, she came up to the roof and talked me out of doing it. She saved me. I was taken to the hospital, for real this time, and suddenly everyone was nice to me, even the Vortex Club members that had bullied me non-stop. In the end, I found it easy to forgive them, because I believe they are sincere."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this latest testimony by the brave miss Marsh once more underlines the method of operation that Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Prescott employed. Mr. Prescott would charm the young woman in question, luring her to some activity or other, and would then serve her a spiked drink or give her some drugs that had been tampered with, and then bring the virtually unconscious victim to Mr. Jefferson in the so-called Dark Room where they would do the things they did, the evidence of which we have seen time and again. Do not be fooled by any attempt on the part of Mr. Prescott's defense that would portray him as a victim."

* * *

"The prosecution calls on Francis Bowers."

"Of course", Max thought to herself. It all made sense. Frank was the one with the immunity deal. Max wasn't sure she wanted Frank to see her, but as she was sitting as close to the prosecutor's bench as she could, there was a good chance he might spot her.

"Mr. Bowers, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

Judge Stanton started detailing the terms of the immunity deal that had been offered to Frank and stated that the court had agreed to sign off on the deal. After finishing, he turned the trial back over to the prosecutor.

"Mr. Bowers, in your last years in Arcadia Bay, were you the man to see if anyone needed access to drugs?"

"I was. No one had a better network than I did."

…

"How did you manage to stay out of the hands of the authorities for so long?"

"Because I was smart about it. I associated with as few people as needed. Unlike my late associate, I never pushed outside of my own territory and I had a police scanner which made it easy to figure out if and when the police might be coming over to see me. I only ever experienced limited problems with law enforcement, even if they considered me to be big trouble. But all of that changed during the events of last year."

"By which you mean the arrest of Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Prescott, the defendants here in court?"

"Exactly."

"Mr. Bowers, did you know the defendants before they were taken into custody?"

"I did a lot of business with them, especially with Nathan Prescott, though I saw Mark Jefferson a few times."

"Do you mean business in terms of selling drugs to them?"

"That is correct. Mr. Prescott had my phone number, and he nearly always demanded a lot of different kinds of drugs, including some really exotic stuff. He had money, and always paid on time, so I didn't see too much of a problem."

…

"Were you aware of the activities that Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Prescott were engaged in? Some of the drugs you sold them could easily be classified as date rape drugs. Did the quantities of drugs they bought from you not cause alarm bells to ring?"

"I was not aware of their perverse activities. But I should have been more suspicious, my dog kept warning me". Frank looked in Nathan's direction, and saw him cowering in fear. Mark Jefferson remained calm as nearly always. "Had I known what they were doing, neither of them would be alive today". Frank made a hand signal across his neck as if he suggested cutting a throat.

Nathan Prescott's defense lawyer interrupted the questioning. "Your honor, I object, the witness is threatening my client."

Judge Stanton told Frank to keep remarks like that to himself, and allowed the prosecutor to continue.

"Mr. Bowers, you are saying that your dog gave you warnings? How does that work?"

"Yes, my dog Pompidou, my only friend in the world. He was always barking and growling whenever Nathan Prescott showed up. And he only does that with people that can't be trusted. I was blinded by the money Nathan Prescott had, and I let it influence my decisions. Pompidou really hated him, though. I should have trusted my dog."

"You also referred to some very exotic drugs?"

"Yes, early last year the demands were getting so crazy that I was getting unsettled at how insistent Nathan was that I deliver everything on his list. I almost never think anything is crazy, and I rarely get unsettled. But Nathan offered to pay a significant premium, and I let that overrule my personal feelings on the matter."

…

"What was your impression of Mr. Prescott during those times?"

"I knew who he was, and how influential his family was. To me it was clear that he should not be messed with if I wanted my business to remain as it was. Near the end, he did start to look somewhat more nervous, but still I kept doing business with him. I never had the idea that he wasn't in control of himself, even if he did act strangely from time to time, but I figured that's just who he was."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Bowers. May it please the court that this testimony once again underlines that the defendant Mr. Prescott was very capable of managing a crucial part of the criminal activities by himself."

The prosecutor said he was finished questioning Frank. Max let out a deep breath. Some of the things Frank had said in court had not been known to her at all. Frank seemed genuinely angry at what Jefferson and Nathan had done, and it seemed to confirm to Max that Frank had not known about it at all.

The judge asked if the defense wanted to ask questions of their own, Nathan's defense lawyer got up and approached Frank.

"Mr. Bowers. You have told this court a lot of things. Let me be blunt and ask you a question. Can you, as a drug dealer, really be trusted not to lie to us here?"

"Why would I endanger my immunity deal?"

"Why indeed. Next question, were you at any time in a relationship?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"A relationship, Mr. Bowers, surely you are aware of what a relationship is? But let me rephrase the question, were you at any time in a relationship with Mr. Jefferson's last victim, miss Rachel Amber?"

That question certainly caught the attention of Max. She started listening more intensely than she had been up to that moment.

"So that's what you mean? Yes, I suppose you could say that was a relationship, though it was mostly one-sided."

"Do you mean you were in love with her?"

"I still am, even though I am aware that it could never work out. Even when she spent time with me, she was always mentally absent."

…

"Was the relationship between you and miss Amber in any way sexual, Mr. Bowers?"

"No, it was not. But I did hope it would be, one day."

"You claim that the relationship was mostly one-sided, what did you mean by that? That miss Amber did not love you?"

"In the end, I don't think she ever did. And I hated it."

"I'd like to point out to the court that this witness, Mr. Bowers, is obviously unable to give unbiased testimony on account of his relationship with one of the victims. His characterization of my client should be dismissed as nothing but the ramblings of a criminal thug and a drug dealer."

Max saw Frank getting visibly angry. Frank got up and addressed Nathan's lawyer. "When you talk about criminals, you should look to that little piece of shit you are defending, your client hurt my lioness, in cooperation with his arrogant friend. Do not think they will escape justice, one way or another."

"Your honor, please dismiss this witness from the courtroom, as he seems to be threatening my client once again."

Judge Stanton was visibly fed up with Frank's antics. "Bailiff, see to it that this man is removed not only from the courtroom, but also from the building."

Frank stepped down from the witness stand and seemed to be leaving the court peacefully, but suddenly ran towards Nathan Prescott, stood in front of him and audibly called him a coward and threatened to kill him, should he ever be released. To Max, Nathan looked smaller than she had ever seen him, with a look of pure terror about him. Once again, she almost felt sorry for him, but not quite.

The bailiff signaled towards two of the police officers present in court, and they managed to restrain Frank. Judge Stanton ordered them to place Frank under arrest and send him to jail to cool off.

Max could have sworn Frank made eye contact with her just prior to being escorted out of the courtroom. She made a bunch of notes in her notebook. "Not cool, Frank, not cool", she thought. Might Frank have endangered the whole case so far? Maybe that view was too dramatic, but his outbursts couldn't have helped the prosecutor's case. And also, he still seemed to have feelings for Rachel. Max wasn't sure she was going to mention that in the report she'd be giving to Chloe and Rachel in person later that day.

The proceedings were dismissed for the day and Max went outside to the café where Kate was waiting for her. They would travel to Rachel and Chloe's apartment together.

* * *

**(Los Angeles: April 2014)**

Just after dinner, Chloe and Rachel were cuddling on the couch, awaiting the arrival of Max and Kate. But as long as it was just the two of them, Chloe only had eyes for her future wife. " _Kiss me, I know you want it…"_

Rachel was sitting on Chloe's lap, and signaled that Chloe should stop talking. Their first careful kiss soon devolved into serious tongue action, and Chloe put her hands on Rachel's hips and pulled her in as close as physics would allow. Soon Chloe maneuvered Rachel down on the couch and laid herself on top of the Amber girl. She started sliding her hand under Rachel's shirt, hearing a purr of satisfaction coming from the smaller girl's mouth. But before anything more serious could happen, they were both startled by the doorbell ringing.

 _"Oh fuck"_ , Chloe cursed.

"Looks like that's gonna have to wait", Rachel laughed. Rachel started fixing her shirt back in place, and Chloe opened the door to let Max and Kate inside.

 _"Hey there Maxneto, and Kate. Come in, we were expecting you"._ Max noticed a blush on Chloe's face. "What's the matter, Chloe, did you run out of superhero names for me?"

_"Sorry about that, Max-a-roni, I just wanted to use a really awesome name for you. Come and sit down, we'll drink tea and talk about what happened in court today. And also, Kate, you are awesome too."_

Max started telling about Frank Bowers and his testimony. Chloe hated some parts of what Max told them, but she did love the part where Frank had threatened Nathan Prescott. Anything that would upset or hurt Nathan was always fine with Chloe, and she did not feel sorry about that at all. Rachel acknowledged some of the things Max said, and seemed satisfied Frank had gotten the message in terms of her not loving him.

Kate talked about her own testimony for some time. She stated she had been highly satisfied with her performance, and was looking forward to getting justice for herself and all the other victims, but above all for the two dead girls in Seattle. Kate expressed that she was determined to send the parents of the two girls a letter of support.

Then the discussion shifted to what was going to happen in court the next day. Kate said she wished she could attend but she had agreed to go visit her parents instead. Chloe, Rachel and Max said they understood and wished Kate the very best. They were all sure they would see each other again.

* * *

**(Pasadena: April 2014)**

The next day arrived, the courtroom was packed as usual, and everything was ready for the next witness. Chloe and Max sat behind the prosecutor, who got up to make the announcement.

"The prosecution calls on Rachel Dawn Amber."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part of the trial is coming up, with the testimony of Rachel and two more people. And maybe there will be some court related drama.


	23. Free your mind

**Free your mind**

(Pasadena: April 2014)

Chloe had talked about it with Rachel numerous times. _"Look at me if you need it, don't look at Mark Jefferson or Nathan, look at me"._ Easier said than done, of course, she wasn't the one who was essentially the star witness in this trial.

Weeks earlier, the prosecutor had gone over it with Rachel. "Take your time answering questions, do not let the defense lawyers pressure you, or rush you". Chloe had been present the last time they had practiced it. Now, she had to be there for Rachel. And Max was there for her. Perhaps this arrangement would work out as intended.

Rachel slowly made her way to the witness stand, looking to her right at all times to avoid Mark Jefferson's stare. Max saw that he was trying to make eye contact, but Rachel wasn't letting him. Good. Nathan seemed especially nervous, more so than ever before. It looked like he was muttering something, but she was too far away from him to hear what it was, if indeed it was so.

Chloe had a good view of the witness stand, precisely as the prosecutor had intended. Rachel was made to swear to tell the truth in what was by now easily the most familiar ritual in the trial so far. "So help me God". Chloe knew that Rachel didn't really believe in any gods, and neither did she. But Rachel had opted not to affirm, just to make it easier on herself.

Judge Stanton addressed the courtroom, and made two brief statements. The first statement was that the allegations of witness intimidation by Sean Prescott had been investigated, and would be followed by an official investigation into his businesses. This would take place separate from the current trial against Sean Prescott's son Nathan.

The second statement made by the judge was that the witness, Rachel, would be afforded a break if she indicated at any time that she needed one. The defense lawyers did not object.

* * *

The prosecutor positioned himself in such a way, that Rachel's view of Chloe was unobstructed. Rachel saw Chloe look at her and was able to immediately draw strength from the situation.

Max could see that Chloe was extremely anxious, and tried to reassure her by briefly putting her arm around Chloe's back.

"Miss Amber, thank you very much for being here today. The evidence you have already provided before this trial even started, has already helped tremendously, especially for the two families that have gotten closure thanks to your recollections.

The information you supplied was absolutely spot on, proving beyond any shadow of a doubt that what you do remember from your ordeal, is as accurate as it could be. My first question, how did you come to meet defendant Nathan Prescott?"

Rachel let a few seconds pass before she started to answer the prosecutor's question. "I saw him for the first time at Blackwell in 2009, but we didn't talk to each other in the beginning. It wasn't until I became a member of the so-called Vortex Club, one of the most prominent social clubs at Blackwell, that I got to have interactions with him".

Whilst Chloe was watching Rachel, Max looked towards Nathan, and saw him rubbing his hands against the desk he was sitting behind, anxiously looking in just about every direction. Was he going to freak out?

"Did Mr. Prescott show any interest in you, in terms of dating, or hanging out together, or anything of the kind?"

"Yes, he did, regularly. We got drunk a few times, though nothing happened. He asked me for a date, but I didn't want to date him so I said no."

"But you did date other members of this Vortex Club?"

"I dated a few guys, that is true."

"Did you sleep with any of them?"

"Yes, with two guys. One time each, and that was it."

"But someone spread rumors at Blackwell about your supposed promiscuity?"

"I started hearing these rumors, but I didn't pay much attention to them, knowing I couldn't stop them anyway. Reacting to the rumors would likely only have made them worse."

"Do you think that Mr. Prescott was involved with these rumors?"

"I couldn't tell you really. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. Anyway, I stopped being a core member of the Vortex Club, because I met someone special."

"You are referring to your current partner?"

"Yes, my fiancée, she is present here today".

Most people in the courtroom looked in Chloe's direction, including Mark Jefferson, who seemed to sneer at the blue haired presence in court, he was still playing his role to perfection, knowing he would likely not escape a serious sentence anyway. Max was still paying special attention to Nathan Prescott, who seemed troubled at the mere mention of the word fiancée.

"During the years 2010 and 2011, you spent considerable time hanging out with miss Price. Was it a romantic relationship from the start?"

"I suppose that depends on how you define the word romantic. It wasn't long after we started getting involved with each other that we began making out, kissing, that sort of thing. It really felt good to have someone with me who liked me regardless of the issues I was dealing with."

Chloe briefly started daydreaming, and recalled the post-Tempest kiss. Or should it be referred to as a make out session? Chloe snapped out of it quickly, and continued listening to what Rachel and the prosecutor were discussing.

"Did you realize you were gay, once you started seeing miss Price? Would you consider the time spent with her to be the equivalent of dating?"

"Oh yes, I realized that I was gay soon after I met Chloe. Maybe deep down I already knew, even before I met her, but parts of me kept denying it, even after we started getting involved with each other. And I would definitely refer to the two of us hanging out together as dating."

…

"What happened once you found out your father had been lying to you all your life, and that the woman who you thought was your mother, was in fact not your mother at all?"

"My world collapsed around me. My identity issues started playing up again, and I told Chloe that I needed some time to think things over. In retrospect I should have followed through on my promise to elope with her."

"How did you deal with the situation regarding your parents? Your father was the district attorney after all."

"I dealt with everything in the worst way possible. I started to use drugs to try and suppress the memories, I mean drugs as in more than just weed. But unfortunately, the drugs made me forget the one good thing that I had going on in my life, Chloe. The relationship with my parents deteriorated to almost nothing, I lied to them and I stole money from them to fund my drug habit."

"Your father must have been disappointed in you? How do you think he will react finding all of this out?"

"He probably knows most of this already, considering he was present when I made my statement to the police, or our lawyer will have discussed it with him. I know he was very disappointed in me, he had this image of me as the perfect daughter, something I always strove to be, but I failed. I simply could not keep up with my parents' expectations forever, and I fell, hard."

"Tell us about how you got involved with Mr. Bowers, who recently also testified in this very courtroom."

"I needed someone to talk to. I knew Chloe had already been dealt a shitty hand in her life, losing her father to a terrible accident and seeing everyone she loved disappear. I felt couldn't burden her with more misery, and wanted to attempt to deal with it myself, so we could keep hanging out together until the time we could leave Arcadia Bay. It was a huge mistake. One day I bought some weed and painkillers from Frank, and he struck up a conversation with me."

…

"Did you share the association you had with Mr. Bowers with miss Price in any way?"

"No, I kept it hidden from her, or at least I tried. But I know she heard the rumors. And eventually, during my Dark Room imprisonment, she found out what had happened. She had investigated my disappearance with a friend of hers and another person. She saw the pictures I had let Frank take of me, the letters and postcards I had written, everything.

Ironically, by trying not to hurt Chloe, by trying not to burden her further, I actually did the very thing I had set out not to do. I hurt her. I hurt her with my lies, and I hurt her by cheating on her. Even today, there are still moments I can barely believe she gave me a second chance."

Rachel seemed calm and collected to people observing her, but the same was not the case for Chloe. The blue haired woman was in tears, being comforted by Max. Those looking in Chloe's direction all seemed to understand what the two women in question had gone through.

"Did the relationship between you and Mr. Bowers become sexual at any point?"

"No, it didn't, and that was quite surprising. However, Frank and I both knew it would happen, someday. But it never got to that point because we split up before it could get to that stage. He told me he suspected I wasn't committed to him, and told me to go back to Chloe."

"That must have been unexpected? Especially coming from someone like him?"

"I agree. It was unexpected, but in a sense it was also liberating."

"I understand. And now we're going to move on to the most difficult part. Do you need a moment? A short break perhaps?"

"No, I'm alright. We can continue."

"You told the court that you were aware that Nathan Prescott knew you wanted to be a model. Do you feel he used that knowledge against you, also taking into account your state of mind at the time?"

"I'm sure it made it easier for him. He was so convincing. He really made me believe that Mark Jefferson could help me, and I had absolutely no idea of what they were really planning to do to me."

"Can you share with the court your assessment of Mr. Prescott's state of mind at the time?"

"I certain did not notice anything out of the ordinary. Like I said, he seemed genuine in wanting to help me. In retrospect I should have seen all the warning signs, but I was too focused on trying to achieve something that would enable me to leave Arcadia Bay, and take Chloe with me."

…

"What is the first thing you remember after waking up?"

"Mark Jefferson took me out of what he referred to as the guest room, which was nothing but a small space with no light. He taped my wrists together, and removed my pants. Then he also taped my ankles together and started positioning me so he could take his pictures.

He told me I was going to be his _"special art project"_. That he was going to make me famous in a certain way, but not the way that I might have thought he would. It was made very clear from the beginning what he was going to do, and what would happen to me once he was finished, which he estimated would take several months at least."

"You feel that he implied that he was going to kill you once it was all over?"

"Yes, there was no doubt about that whatsoever. He said other girls that had been brought to the Dark Room had been drugged all the time, and would have no knowledge of where they had been, so it was safe to release them afterwards. But in my case, he was going to have situations where I would be drugged, and also situations where I would not be."

"Did he refer to the girls he had killed previously in Seattle?"

"All the time. He indicated that it had given him a taste of what he could do, and he wanted to see if he could control himself by keeping me alive as long as his _"special art project"_ wasn't finished. And it would give him time to decide how to kill me once he was done with me."

"So Nathan Prescott brought you in, after charming you, and once you were in the Dark Room Mr. Jefferson took over, as what had happened to the other girls, many of whom have testified in this trial so far?"

"That is correct, it was a similar experience except that I wasn't drugged before I was brought there. I was stupid enough to believe their lies."

"What was Mr. Prescott's role during your imprisonment?"

"Mark Jefferson made it very clear that the Prescotts had funded the Dark Room construction, as well as the equipment on hand. And he specifically told me that part of the deal he had made with Nathan was that he would allow him to have _"access"_ to me, as he formulated it."

"Can you tell us what the word access means, in this context?"

"It meant that Nathan would be given time alone with me, to basically do as he pleased, as long as he didn't do anything to _"damage"_ me, as Mr. Jefferson put it. I understood that it meant Nathan would be allowed to rape me if he pleased, just as long as he left me alive and in one piece, so Mr. Jefferson could continue what he was doing."

Nathan's defense lawyer interrupted the questioning. "Objection, your honor, the witness is speculating."

"Overruled, let's see where this line of questioning goes".

The prosecutor thanked the judge, and continued. "This is going to be a painful question, but it must be asked, I hope you understand. Do you recall any specific moment where Mr. Prescott tried to or actually did rape you?"

"I don't have any recollection of him actually raping me, which may or may not be a blessing, but there are several moments I can remember where he tried. One time was New Year's Eve 2012, and the second time was near the end, it must have been late February or early March 2013.

As usual, Mr. Jefferson would dose me with drugs, and then leave for a few hours. The dosage was less effective than usual, and took a while to really kick in. I remember a lot of that particular time, especially the early stages of what Nathan was doing to me. He had stripped me down to my panties, and nothing else. My wrists were cuffed behind my back and Nathan removed his own pants as he started creeping all over me."

The courtroom was entirely silent apart from Rachel who was telling of her ordeal. Max noticed many people in a state of semi shock and Chloe was clearly not in the best state she could have been in which Max thought was understandable. She briefly took Chloe's hand and squeezed it just to let Chloe know she wasn't alone.

Suddenly people heard a word being uttered by someone, but it wasn't entirely clear where it came from and who was responsible. But clarity was soon provided. Nathan Prescott repeated the word. "Rachel".

And then again, a bit louder. "Rachel".

Once more, louder still. "Rachel". He followed up on it. "I love you".

Nathan Prescott covered his head with his hands as much as he could. Judge Stanton immediately ordered Nathan's lawyer to control his client and prevent such outbursts.

But there was another interruption. And it came from a blue haired source. Chloe stood up and shouted at Nathan. _"Shut the fuck up you disgusting creep."_

Judge Stanton once more made it very clear where he stood on what was going on. "This is your first, last and only warning. Do this again and you will be removed from the courtroom". Max managed to convince Chloe to sit back down, but Chloe was obviously still fuming.

The prosecutor reassured Rachel, and asked her to continue with her answer, which she did. "Nathan basically touched me everywhere he could. The drugs slowly started to take effect and I blacked in and out of consciousness. After a while, Nathan was getting restless and angry and said that since his father had essentially paid for everything, he should get what he really wanted, and I had no right to deny him, as if I was somehow capable of stopping him which I obviously was not."

…

After finishing the horrifying exchange, the prosecutor addressed the court. "I would like to draw attention to exhibit 419-A, panties recovered from the Dark Room with the DNA of both miss Amber as well as Mr. Prescott on it, independently confirmed by two different laboratories. Let me make this very clear. This is conclusive proof of assault, committed by Mr. Prescott, without any assistance from Mr. Jefferson. I reiterate, Mr. Prescott was no victim of the evil machinations of Mr. Jefferson, but a willing co-conspirator."

Max suddenly grasped her own nose, and quickly grabbed a tissue. Chloe looked at her and saw that Max was suffering from a nosebleed. _"Hell is empty, and all devils are here, right Max?"_ Max acknowledged the remark, whilst looking in the direction of Jefferson and Nathan.

Chloe followed up. _"I almost wish I had a gun, so I could end them both right now. It would be cathartic, I suppose, but I have to consider the consequences both for me and Rachel, so no, revenge is out as an option. Let's hope justice prevails."_

After the prosecution finished, Nathan Prescott's lawyer got up and started questioning Rachel.

"Miss Amber, how would you describe the relationship between Mr. Jefferson and my client, Mr. Prescott? Would you say that Mr. Jefferson was contemptuous of my client?"

"I would say they worked well together. Yes, near the end it was clear Mr. Jefferson disliked Mr. Prescott, but he rarely intervened whenever Mr. Prescott wanted to do things to me."

"Did you see Mr. Jefferson administer drugs to my client at any time?"

"It happened a few times, mostly when Nathan was worked up over something, and Mr. Jefferson wanted to effectively calm him down."

"You are saying that Mr. Jefferson was clearly trying to control my client?"

"I don't know, really."

"But the drugs alone would suggest this was not an equal relationship?"

"Again, I don't know."

"Are we really supposed to believe that a young man, with certain mental problems, being administered certain quantities of drugs, was capable to be an effective co-conspirator of a cold and calculating man who had control over nearly everything going on?"

"Believe what you must. Unlike your client, Mr. Jefferson never sexually assaulted me, despite all the terrible things he did to me."

The questioning continued for a while.

…

"You and Mr. Bowers seem to have concocted this fiction that you had absolutely no sexual relations with each other…"

The prosecutor stood up and raised his objection to the line of questioning. Many people in the courtroom did not understand what Nathan's lawyer was trying to do, maybe it was all part of a desperate attempt to catch Rachel in a lie, and exploit the situation to a point where she would underwrite the case he was trying to make, presenting Nathan Prescott as a victim of Mr. Jefferson. But whatever the lawyer was trying to do, it wasn't working, much to his visible frustration.

After over an hour of questioning, Nathan Prescott's lawyer gave up his attempt to get Rachel to go along with his scheme, and looked pretty much resigned to the eventual outcome of the trial. He realized there was only one thing that could possibly save Nathan Prescott from a lengthy sentence, getting Nathan himself to testify. It was a desperate gamble.

But before Nathan Prescott himself would be called upon, Nathan's lawyer called upon Victoria Chase, and made it clear she would be a character witness, able to describe Nathan's state of mind during the whole situation.

* * *

Nathan's lawyer thanked Victoria for coming over. "Miss Chase, what can you tell us about Nathan Prescott and his state of mind?"

"It was obvious to me that Nathan had issues. I tried to keep him close, and treated him as if he was my brother. He obviously needed someone to talk to, and I took it upon myself to help him deal with some of the things he was going through."

"Can you name such an issue?"

"Yes. His father, Sean Prescott, treated him like dirt. In his eyes, his son Nathan could do no good, and he considered him to be a disappointment. Whenever he showed up at Blackwell, he always berated Nathan for being weak and unable to stand up for himself. Every time I overheard them both talk, Sean Prescott was pressuring Nathan to live up to the Prescott name, and take charge like he was supposed to. Sean Prescott said he thought Arcadia Bay deserved an enema, and he was going to make sure the town would get just that. And once Nathan was ready, he would be in charge of everything."

"You are saying that Nathan was bullied by his own father?"

"I would definitely subscribe to that view. I saw it as an abusive relationship at the time, and I still see it that way, regardless of what things Nathan may have done or not. And let me make it clear that I do not in any way condone or approve anything that has been done to any of the victims. I just do not believe that Nathan Prescott was capable of doing any such things of his own volition."

"You were also familiar with Mr. Jefferson, as you were one of his students?"

"Yes, I was in Mr. Jefferson's class, and like many of my classmates, I had been in awe of Mark… I mean Mr. Jefferson. He was the reason I came to Blackwell to begin with. Mr. Jefferson was always extremely charming, and seemed capable of manipulating people into doing what he wanted them to do."

"And would you say that is what happened to Nathan Prescott?"

"Considering what we know today, I would definitely say yes. Nathan Prescott had mental problems on account of what his father said and did to him. I am convinced that Nathan was looking for a father figure who would provide him with the love that his father so obviously denied him."

"Did you try to help Nathan in any way?"

"Yes. I talked to him a lot. I could see he was struggling with many things. I believed that as long as I continued to talk with him, make him feel welcome, I could prevent things from escalating any further."

"Were you at any time aware of what was going on behind your back?"

"No, I was not. I had no idea that Nathan was already so far gone in the head. I firmly believe Mr. Jefferson must have made Nathan do it, somehow. I will repeat that I am absolutely ashamed of myself for not realizing what was going on, since I was close to both of them. Maybe I should have intervened on Nathan's behalf, no one else did, after all. Maybe the things that were done to Rachel Amber could have been prevented. It must have been horrifying for her, and I can't stop blaming myself for not confronting Nathan's father and principal Wells.

I was sickened when I heard what Mr. Jefferson and Nathan had done. I believe they must be punished for what they did, especially Mr. Jefferson, but Nathan should not just be punished, but also be given the proper psychiatric care that he has been denied for so long."

* * *

After a short break, Nathan Prescott was asked to come to the witness stand. Most people in the courtroom were aware that he might well be one of the last people to be cross-examined in the trial. And much of his eventual fate might well be determined by how he would respond to the questions.

Nathan's own lawyer started asking him questions. "Nathan, can you tell us in your own words what you feel about your father, Sean Prescott".

"He is… always… trying to make me feel bad… he says… I'm a disappointment… to the family… that I… should… man up… and just be a Prescott."

"But you didn't want to work in the family business, did you?"

"No… I wanted… to be an artist… To make photographs… I tried so hard…"

"Your father was unhappy with your career choice, but he eventually agreed to hire Mr. Jefferson to tutor you?"

"Yes... if I was to be… an artist… he wanted… me to be the best… because only that way… would I not disgrace the family name… he is the one… that hired Mr. Jefferson… I didn't even… know who that was… before I first met him."

It didn't take a genius to note something was badly off about the way Nathan was speaking. Max found it very disturbing to see Nathan on the witness stand, a mere shell of his former self, and unable to fluently finish even the simplest sentences. Victoria had not been wrong, Nathan was clearly gone in the head, he probably shouldn't even be in the courtroom right now. Once more, she almost felt sorry for him.

At that same time, Chloe looked at Nathan with a look of pure hatred, like she was almost happy to see him physically and mentally destroyed. Max decided not to say anything about it in order to prevent triggering a reaction from Chloe. But she did find it interesting that the two people who looked down on Nathan the most were Chloe and Mr. Jefferson, essentially two sworn enemies.

Max was sure that Mr. Jefferson regretted his association with the volatile Nathan Prescott, as he might never have been caught had it not been for Nathan's behavior in the last weeks of Rachel's imprisonment.

In the meantime, Nathan's lawyer continued the questions. "Nathan, I need to ask you a serious question. Whose idea was it to kidnap young women, drug them, and make all these pictures that we have seen?"

"It… was… Mr. Jefferson… he made me do it… made me… threatened to hurt me… he touched me… the drugs… I couldn't… I never wanted… to hurt anyone… I'm sorry…"

…

"Did you try to get away from him, Nathan?"

"Yes… I wanted to… tried to leave…"

"Your honor, I would like to point to exhibit 224-X. A one-way bus ticket to the name of Nathan Prescott. Destination Los Angeles. Nathan, why did you not go? You had this ticket, after all."

"Mr. Jefferson found out… he was angry… he took the ticket… and threatened to kill me… I was so afraid…"

"If it pleases the court, I would like to read the following note that Mr. Jefferson sent to my client. It is part of the record as exhibit 224-Y.

_Nathan, I've told you to never call me using your phone. Stick with the disposable ones I gave you. I don't want to hear you screaming out my name in a public place which you have stupidly done before. I haven't set all this up and shared my vast wisdom just so you can fuck it up with your teen rage. We can accomplish a lot together but you have to let me guide you. Or there will be consequences._

The tone of the note is quite clear. Mr. Jefferson was threatening my client with severe consequences should he try to break out of the situation he was in. The note establishes Mr. Jefferson very clearly as the man who put the entire Dark Room scheme together, abusing the trust that both my client and my client's father put in him.

My client realizes that he has done things that are wrong, but it should be taken into account he was under extreme duress, and in such a state of mind that he couldn't escape from the hell Mr. Jefferson created for those young women, particularly miss Amber. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please take this into account during your deliberations."

Judge Stanton turned the questioning over to the prosecution. The prosecutor got up from his seat and approached Nathan Prescott with a serious look on his face.

Max overheard Chloe muttering. _"Bury him, do it. Finish him off. Don't buy those pathetic lies we just heard."_ Max softly asked Chloe to be quiet, for the sake of Rachel. That worked. But Max could clearly see Chloe was biting her own lips. It was a good thing that her blue haired friend had no access to a gun or a baton.

The prosecutor audibly cleared his throat, and looked at Nathan. "Mr. Prescott, you just said some very interesting things. Let's assume for the sake of argument that everything you have said in court today is true. Even if that is so, there are some questions you still need to answer. And I will make these questions easy for you to answer. Mr. Prescott, did you rape, or attempt to rape miss Kate Marsh? And remember, you are under oath."

The prosecutor stepped back and the whole court saw Nathan struggling to answer the question. It was obvious the prosecutor had struck a nerve with his question. The prosecutor followed up. "Mr. Prescott, we are waiting for an answer. But let me ask you another question. Did you rape, or attempt to rape miss Rachel Amber? If yes, why, and if no, how do you explain your DNA on her underwear? Well, Mr. Prescott? Do you have answers? I understand your hesitation, after all, these aren't the softball questions your own lawyer tossed at you."

Nathan's lawyer protested at the line of questioning, and accused the prosecutor of intimidation. Judge Stanton admonished the prosecutor, but did demand that Nathan Prescott answer the first question he had been asked, the one about Kate Marsh. Still, Nathan would not answer.

The prosecutor continued. "Mr. Prescott, here's a copy of a note you wrote to Mr. Jefferson. I will read this note out loud. For the record, this is exhibit 431-F.

_Mark, I don't know why you've been ignoring me the past few weeks, but you're the only voice I trust. Yes, I know I fucked up with KM. I know you're pissed, but please don't make me feel like shit. I just want us to be working together on these projects like we did before. Sincerely, NP._

The "KM" refers to Kate Marsh, doesn't it Mr. Prescott? The handwriting has been identified by a forensic expert as being yours. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the note clearly indicates that Mr. Prescott was not only working with Mr. Jefferson of his own free will, but relished doing so."

"No… that's not true… it's a lie… all these girls… they're out to get me… didn't want to fucking date me… I'm Nathan Prescott… I get what I want… I take it… it's mine… you don't get to reject me… my family owns the town… she deserved what she got… I…"

The look on Nathan's face was very telling, he seemed to realize what he had just done. His own lawyer was shaking his head. Nathan fell silent. The entire courtroom was silent. And everyone knew that Nathan Prescott had just destroyed himself. Every little bit of sympathy that people had felt for him just half an hour earlier was gone.

Chloe was feeling triumphant. Max saw a huge grin on her face. And then, Chloe shouted at Nathan again. _"I heard you admit it, you bastard, we all did, you are finished, you and that asshole friend of yours. I hope you both die painfully."_

Judge Stanton immediately ordered the bailiff to remove Chloe from the courtroom. But the blue haired avenger got up and stomped out of the courtroom before anyone could get close to her. Max decided to stick around as she suspected the day in court would not last much longer.

* * *

Chloe found Rachel and Victoria sitting together in the canteen. Chloe wrapped her arms around Rachel and kissed her on the cheek. _"I'm so fucking proud of you, baby. So fucking proud. We just destroyed them. No way they don't get convicted. You can free your mind now."_

Victoria said she believed Chloe was right. She told the engaged couple that she had overheard a few people talk about the trial, and that those people had been appalled at how badly the lawyers for the defendants had handled the case. Victoria added her own opinion that it had almost been dereliction of duty. But she felt relieved for Chloe and especially Rachel.

 _"_ _Thank you, Victoria. I know that you had to give your assessment on Nathan, and I think you did it fairly. I would never hold it against you, nor would Rachel, I believe."_

"Chloe, thank you. It means a lot to me that you can see past the idea that I was here to defend Nathan's actions, because I wasn't. I think I already told you last year that I was appalled at the crimes that had been committed by Mr. Jefferson and Nathan."

"Yes, I remember that", Rachel said. "It was good to meet you there, just when we were heading to Max's dorm room."

Victoria looked up. "Speaking of Max, there she is. It seems that today's court session is finished."

Max sat herself down next to Victoria. "Final arguments tomorrow, and then the judge will likely tell the jury to go and do their thing. It's almost done."

 _"_ _Thank you so much, Max. You've done so much for us these last few months, Rachel and I owe you bigtime."_

"No Chloe, I owed you. Five years, remember?"

Max suggested that the four of them go outside. The main part of the trial was nearly finished.

* * *

The four young women descended the Federal Court's stairs. A soft spring sun was shining. There were no clouds on the horizon. Quite a few other people were also leaving the building, but everything seemed to proceed as it always had at the end of a busy day in court.

But just as Victoria was going to say goodbye to the other three, they heard someone shouting out loud. The sound drew rapidly nearer. And suddenly, the words were as clear as they could be.

"YOU FUCKING WHORE, YOU LIED ABOUT MARK JEFFERSON. MARK IS INNOCENT. DIE BITCH, DIE."

Chloe saw a woman run at them. She had no idea who it was, but the woman in question was clearly wielding a knife, and seemed to be running straight at Rachel. Without hesitation, Chloe ripped away the bag Max was carrying and got ready to use it as a defense against the clearly deranged woman. As the woman raised her knife, and was just yards away, Chloe swung Max's bag at her. The bag hit the woman in the face and she stumbled, missing Rachel completely. A nearby police officer was also closing in and immediately apprehended the knife wielding psycho.

Everything seemed fine, Max picked up her bag and saw it had suffered some damage. She then looked at Chloe and saw the same thing that Rachel and Victoria also saw. Blood, coming from a wound on Chloe's left arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the trial will move to the background, as the story returns to focus on Chloe and Rachel. And yes, their big day should be coming up in a few chapters time.


	24. This will be

**This will be**

(Los Angeles: spring 2014)

Rachel was sitting on a bench in the hospital. Less than half an hour had passed since the moment the deranged person had tried to kill her. But she was not feeling relieved in the least bit, Chloe's timely intervention, using Max's bag, had caused her blue haired protector herself to be wounded. "Why does life keep doing this to us, Max? Can't Chloe and I ever get a break?"

Max, who was sitting right next to Rachel, was in the process of checking the contents of her bag for damage. The camera she had brought with her was clearly broken, likely beyond repair. At least it wasn't one of her expensive professional cameras. The bag itself was damaged too, but to Max's satisfaction it had suffered its wounds for a good cause, Chloe stopping the knife-wielder's attempt on Rachel's life. However, her best friend was now hurt, and the quantity of blood had caused Max to freak.

Everything had seemed alright for a few seconds after the disturbed attacker had been subdued by the police officer. Everything was fine until it was clear it wasn't. Then things happened quickly, an ambulance came, Chloe was taken to the hospital, and Max had joined Rachel outside the emergency room. Now she and Rachel were waiting for news from the doctors.

"I don't know, Rachel. It just makes me sick to think that whoever did this might have been planning this for some time. There are some unhinged people out there, I've seen the social media pages where Jefferson fanboys and fangirls are posting their crazy conspiracy stuff. Crap you wouldn't believe anyone could ever come up with."

Max put her hand on Rachel's shoulder and tried to comfort Chloe's shaken fiancée. Rachel seemed to appreciate the gesture from her lover's childhood friend. For now, all they could do was wait, and maybe talk to each other.

"Max, I called Chloe's mother and let her know what has happened. She's very worried, as is to be expected. I don't know yet if I should tell my father. He's been friendly towards us ever since I got rescued last year, but I still feel he isn't entirely on board with me and Chloe getting married, even if he says he is. He's constantly asking us if we've met interesting people in Los Angeles. It's really weird."

"Well, I don't know him, Rachel, but I think he will get used to the idea eventually. What has happened to you these last few years isn't exactly nothing, and different people have different coping mechanisms. Your father probably had this idea you were going to marry some handsome dude and have a bunch of babies with him. That, and maybe a career as a lawyer or doctor or something like that". Max saw Rachel nod in agreement. It clearly did both young women good to have this talk, whilst Chloe was getting the care she needed.

Rachel recalled the situation of the previous year. "Is this how it felt when you were in the hospital with Chloe, waiting for news on my condition?"

"Yes and no, Rachel. But I remember it well. It's about a year ago to the day. Chloe and I were endlessly trying to find information about how you were doing. We were desperately clinging to every bit of positive news we heard. I remember Kate Marsh texting me about how she was firing off prayers on your behalf, after I let her know we had found you".

Rachel wistfully looked in the direction of the emergency room. She understood the emotions so much better now that the roles Chloe and she had played the previous year were reversed. She pulled the engagement necklace Chloe had given her from under her shirt, and started playing with it. "She's my dream, Max. I never met anyone like her. I mean, she figured me out so quickly. I caused her pain but she never stopped loving me. Sometimes I can't stop thinking that I don't deserve her."

"That's bullshit, Rachel, if you pardon the phrase. She thinks you're worth it, and therefore you are worth it. You can't keep second guessing yourself. I mean, I'm not the foremost expert on love and relationships, but I want it to work between you and Chloe, and I believe it will work. Steph and I both do. And both you and Chloe deserve it. The world owes you both happiness, I firmly believe that."

Max smiled at Rachel and started searching for something inside her bag. Not much later she pulled out a photograph and showed it to the blonde girl sitting next to her. "Look, this is a picture of me and Chloe dressed as pirates, when we were younger, from before my parents took me to Seattle which caused the five-year break in communication between me and her. I've kept this one with me, ever since Chloe and I reconnected last year, just to remind me that things can get better. When Chloe recovers, that is what will happen to you both."

Rachel studied the picture and said she couldn't remember seeing it before, though she wasn't entirely sure. Max added to her previous remarks. "Rachel, I think I know Chloe pretty well, she is not someone who is easily impressed by anyone, even if she might seem enchanted by someone at first. Even before her father's death, it wasn't always easy to understand her. Her father certainly met her high standards, and you obviously have too. And that is why I think it's going to work out fine for you both. I've never seen or heard her so convinced about anything else. Believe me, if she had an issue she would tell you."

"Max, in the beginning, after Chloe and I just met, she was pretty clingy. And maybe I was a little too casual. I suppose you could say she and I both have some serious issues to deal with. Thanks to friends like you, I think we can do it. I just can't wait for our big day, the next six months can't pass fast enough, if you ask me."

As Rachel was finishing her last sentence, she and Max both noticed that the emergency room's door opened, and Chloe was being transported to a hospital room to rest and recover from what had happened.

* * *

One of the nurses stopped Rachel and Max from going into the room where Chloe was. "Are either of you related to the patient?"

Max said she wasn't a family member, but still a friend of Chloe's. Rachel pointed out she was Chloe's fiancée, fortunately the nurse seemed to be in a good mood and let them both into the room.

"You will probably want to know about her condition", the nurse said whilst looking at Rachel. "Miss Price has been very lucky, the knife came very close to severing her brachial artery which could have caused serious complications. She has lost some blood but we've stabilized the situation and she will recover pretty quickly. We'll keep her here overnight to be sure, and check on the wound again tomorrow. If everything is alright, as we think it will be, she will be allowed to go home tomorrow afternoon and can complete her recovery there."

Rachel and Max looked at each other and both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. The nurse explained Chloe had been given anesthetics before surgery, because the doctors had not been sure about the exact extent of the wound, and Chloe would likely wake up within an hour, probably less. Then the nurse excused herself and left the three young women alone in the room.

"I'm going to inform Steph", Max told Rachel. "She needs to know what happened". Rachel agreed, Steph as master of ceremonies had the right to know. Max left the room so she would be able to make the call.

Max's phone business left Rachel alone with Chloe. Rachel looked at the bandage covering most of Chloe's upper left arm. There didn't seem to be much of a problem, and if the nurse was right, everything would be just fine again in a very short time. Chloe would likely wake up very soon and they could talk about what happened.

Rachel whispered some words into Chloe's ear, despite knowing her blue haired future wife couldn't hear her. "Babe, I want you to know that I'm here for you, as much as you were there for me a year ago. I will be strong for you, and I'll wait here as long as I have to, I promise. I'll never leave you because I love you. Just six more months, angel, and we'll belong to each other forever."

Rachel felt her cellphone buzzing, reminding her that there was an outside world, even if she had switched the phone's sound off. There were some texts from someone that wasn't in her list of contacts, however the content of the texts startled her. An invitation to meet. Rachel looked at the unconscious Chloe and started thinking.

"What will Chloe think of this? Should I tell her? And how did this person get my phone number? I have to go and check this out. But I will wait for Chloe to wake up first."

After the thoughts had passed through her head, she sent texts to her father telling him about what had happened outside the court building. Rachel felt that though her father was likely still not too enthusiastic about her and Chloe, he deserved to know, Chloe was going to be family in a matter of months, whether he liked it or not.

Rachel then followed up by texting Chloe's mother, letting her future mother-in-law know everything was going to be alright.

Max returned to the room, and just as Rachel wanted to ask her how the call with Steph had been, Chloe started waking up. Rachel turned her head and smiled at the blue haired patient and asked her how she was doing. Chloe groaned and touched her own head with her right hand. _"I have a terrific headache, and I can't really feel my left arm."_

"But you're gonna be alright, babe, and that's what matters. The nurse said you are going to be allowed to go home tomorrow, probably in the afternoon. You're my hero, Chloe, you saved me again."

"I agree with Rachel, you are a hero, Chloe. The police arrested that woman. And after I pointed it out to them, they told me they were going to investigate some of those social media pages supporting Jefferson. We don't really know very much yet, but maybe she wasn't acting alone."

 _"_ _That's hella fucked up, Max. And I'm sorry about your bag, I can see from here that it was damaged."_

"Don't worry about it, I can always get a new one. But Rachel and me could never get a new Chloe Price in our lives". Max smiled at Chloe, who couldn't suppress a grin herself.

Rachel stroked Chloe's right hand, and saw the bracelet she had given her bae. "Chloe, do you want me to stick around? I will if you want me to. But I could also go and do some groceries, and run a few errands, there are a few things I need to do".

 _"_ _Are you sure, Rach? I have no objections, but what if there are more of those deranged people around?"_

Max suggested she could escort Rachel home, and pointed out she still had her bag, damaged or not. "I'll protect her, Chloe. You just showed me how."

 _"_ _That's fine, but before you two leave, could you get one of the nurses in here? I'm really thirsty, and maybe I'm going to need some painkillers for later today."_

Rachel and Max promised to do so, and said they'd be back the next day to pick Chloe up and bring her home.

After reaching the Amber apartment safely, Max said goodbye to Rachel and they agreed to meet each other again the next day.

Rachel once more looked at the text messages she had received earlier. This was serious business. But now she was back home, she felt secure enough to call the number of the person who had texted her. The phone rang a few times, and then Rachel heard someone pick it up. "Hello, Maraia Johnson speaking, is that you Rachel?"

* * *

Max was waiting in front of the hospital, this was where Rachel had said she would be. But no sight of Chloe's favorite blonde. Max wasn't worried, Rachel was likely delayed a few minutes. "These things happen", Max thought. She decided to call Rachel so she could find out.

She heard the phone ring, and then a few times more, but no answer. Max followed up with some texts. After waiting a few more minutes, Max decided to go and see Chloe. Rachel could always find her own way. "Let me know when you arrive", Max texted Rachel.

Not much later, Max was back with Chloe. Chloe immediately noticed the obvious absence of her angel, and questioned Max. _"Where's Rachel, I thought you were both going to be here at the same time?"_

"Yeah, that's what I thought. But Rachel is probably delayed. I tried calling her, sent her a few texts. No reason to worry. She was safe at home yesterday evening, she'll show up soon."

Chloe looked slightly concerned. _"Max, the nurse told me I can go home now. Can you get my coat for me? I think I left my phone in my coat pocket, maybe Rachel left some messages for me."_

After dressing herself with the help of Max, Chloe checked her phone. There were quite a few messages, and some missed calls. But none from Rachel. Chloe got more worried. She decided to call Rachel, but no answer. And then, despite her wounded left arm, she sent Rachel a text. _"Where are you, sexy? Max and I are getting worried now"._

Chloe decided to send another one. _"Hey babe, I'll marry Max if you don't call me"_. Yeah, playing on Rachel's jealousy might work.

Finally, one more text. _"Max will accompany me back to the apartment, so if you read this, go back home and you and me can do a bit of relaxing later tonight"_. Chloe even added a winking face emoji. That would definitely get Rachel's attention, her lover was very aware Chloe normally disliked emojis.

Chloe and Max let the staff know that Chloe was going to leave the hospital. Chloe received some painkillers for the coming week. It was time to go home.

* * *

Once back home, Chloe and Max investigated the situation. Rachel was obviously not there. Her coat wasn't there, her phone wasn't there. She had obviously gone somewhere. No sign of breaking and entering, so it likely wasn't a kidnapping situation. Though Chloe was getting more worried. Some of those Jefferson groupies might still be out there. And during the trial, they had learned that Frank still loved Rachel, but surely Rachel hadn't secretly arranged to meet him again. But what else could it be? Chloe didn't like the thoughts in her head.

Chloe and Max drew up a list of people that Rachel knew, and called those of which they had the phone numbers. Rachel's parents, Chloe's parents, people from the theatre group, Steph, Elaine, Gareth and Eli, the landlord and a few others. But after finishing calling the people on the list, they were none the wiser. No one knew anything. Chloe decided to check with the neighbors, but they hadn't seen Rachel either, nor did they know anything.

 _"_ _This isn't funny, Rachel"_ , Chloe muttered. _"This isn't funny at all, where are you? What the fuck is going on?"_

Max saw her friend getting more and more distressed, and suggested that they go to the nearby police station. They tried to report Rachel as a missing person, but were told that she hadn't been missing long enough yet. Arguing the case didn't seem to help, and Max dragged a frustrated Chloe back to the apartment once more. The next morning, they would try again. They would make an attempt to contact Rachel, and if that didn't work, they would return to the police station.

Chloe took one of the painkillers, and drank some water with it. It was late, and time to go to bed. Max agreed to stay for the night and took the bed in the guest room. Chloe kept waking up during the night, and kept checking her cellphone, but still no calls or messages from Rachel. There had to be something wrong.

* * *

The next morning, after breakfast, and another failed attempt to contact Rachel by phone, both Chloe and Max were getting ready to go to the police station again. It was time to face reality, something had happened to Rachel and they needed to know what it was. They went outside, and were maybe fifty yards away from the police station, when suddenly Chloe's phone started going berserk.

Text messages were flooding in. And they were dated the previous day. Well, at least the first thirty or so were. More text messages followed, some were even as recent as just five minutes ago. Chloe's phone now also started displaying the missed calls icon.

Chloe showed her phone to Max. _"It is Rachel, she was trying to contact us all along, but it seems the messages got stuck, and the calls couldn't get through to me. Maybe her phone didn't have a good connection to the network."_

Max checked her own phone, and also saw a number of texts from Rachel. She confirmed Chloe's suspicion. Chloe then immediately called Rachel.

 _"_ _What are you saying, Rach? Your family? But I thought your father… oh you mean your birth mother's family. You are with your aunt right now? Yeah… I was getting worried… your texts didn't come through until just now… Max and I thought you were missing… with all the shit that's been happening, the stabbing and all that… these Jefferson loving creeps… you're coming home? Yes, I'll be there… no wait, don't do that just yet… I also want to know… see you soon, babe."_

Chloe turned to Max. _"Rachel has met her aunt. Her birth mother has a sister. She had no idea, her father never told her. She wants to confront him. I asked her to wait until we can discuss the situation. Rachel wasn't aware her messages weren't getting through. I am so relieved, Max. She's coming soon, half an hour or so."_

"I'm relieved too, Chloe. Do you want me to stick around until she gets back? I can wait for her to come home, but then I will need to go, I have other things to do today."

 _"_ _Not a problem, Shermax Holmes, thank you for me helping me out, once again."_

* * *

Rachel came back home as she had promised. Both her and Chloe said goodbye to Max, and they went inside the apartment to talk about the news. Before they started talking, they texted the people that Chloe and Max had called earlier that Rachel was safe and sound, and that the whole thing had been caused by a faulty cellphone network.

Chloe listened whilst Rachel told what she had learned. "My birth mother, Sera, her full name was Seraphina Gearhardt. She has an older sister, called Maraia. That's who contacted me in the hospital. I called her once I got home. Not long after that, I tried to call you, but there was no signal anymore, the network seems to have malfunctioned. Also, my text messages to you got stuck in limbo for some time. The same thing happened the next day when I tried to call and text Max while she was waiting for me.

Anyway, Maraia invited me to come visit her, so that's what I did. She is married to a man named Jack Johnson, and they have two adult children, Jack junior and Anna, my cousins. I've never met them, in fact I didn't even know they existed until now. Aunt Maraia is going to try and set up a meeting between me and the entire family. You are welcome too, Chloe.

Yes, I told aunt Maraia about you. She sends her best regards and congratulates us on our engagement. I think we should consider inviting them, though it might get a little complicated considering that the Gearhardt-Johnson family doesn't have a good relationship with my father. In fact, they've had no contact for quite some time, not even after my birth mother Sera died.

Aunt Maraia said I remind her of how Sera looked when she was my age. She could clearly see I am Sera's daughter. And there's more, Chloe. Maraia knew I grew up in Arcadia Bay. She has a cousin, Hannah, who is married to a major Hampden. Does that surname sound familiar? It should, because they have a son called Eliot, who used to attend Blackwell."

Chloe could no longer contain herself. _"The fuck? Are you serious, Rachel? Eliot Hampden is a cousin of yours? Holy shit. That's hella weird."_

Rachel confirmed it. "Yeah, he's a full second cousin of mine, and I had no idea. So apparently, you already fucked one of my relatives before you started fucking me". Chloe got annoyed when she saw Rachel's attempt to suppress a laugh.

 _"_ _That's not the least bit funny, Rach. Seriously. Stop laughing, right now. And besides, Eliot and I only ever did it once, and it's still hardly worth mentioning, even if he was nice to me at the time. And we are definitely not inviting Eliot to our wedding."_

"He might show up regardless", Rachel said. "Maybe he still has faint hopes of getting back with you? Who knows? What are we going to do if he shows up wearing a groom's suit and tries to displace me?"

 _"_ _I'll kick his ass if he dares", Chloe replied. "And then I'll get my stepdad David to throw him out. Don't worry Rachel, I'm hella gay and always will be. He shouldn't mistake the thing he and I had for a real relationship. I was just lonely at the time and happy to be with him when no one else wanted to be with me. But that's all it ever was."_

"I know, C. And I am hella gay too, forever. But I am happy that I have some more family. I hope you understand that. And I really want to meet them, and I want you to be there too."

 _"_ _I totally understand, and of course I want to meet them as well, babe. I want to see what your cousins look like, the ones not named Eliot. And maybe we will learn some more about your birth mother. And if your father objects, well screw him, then."_

"Agreed, angel of mine. And you seem to have promised me a relaxing evening. I hope the offer is still valid, even if it originally referred to yesterday."

 _"_ _Of course it's still valid Rach. We'll have a bath, I'll use my hands on you in that way that you like so much, and then we'll go to bed. I'll probably take a painkiller first, though, because my left arm still stings a bit, and the bandage limits movement somewhat. Fortunately, my right hand is the pleasure hand."_

"You are very talented with it, Chloe. And once we're in bed, I'll use my hands on you, and perhaps something else too". Rachel licked her own lips and winked at Chloe, who immediately understood what her blonde lover was referring to. Eating out definitely had more than just the one meaning. And yes, Chloe craved some good hard fucking more than anything else, she was sure Rachel felt the same way.

* * *

Chloe and Rachel didn't wake up until noon the next day. Their nocturnal activities had taken up quite some time, much to their mutual pleasure. And the wine had tasted pretty good, too. Chloe hadn't felt her arm sting all night, having been overwhelmed with other sensations.

There was an e-mail from Rachel's father James. He told them that jury deliberation had started in the trial against Jefferson and Nathan. It was now a matter of how long that would take, and once the jury was done the sentencing would take place.

On Sunday it was time for another episode of Game of Thrones. Season four was nearing the end and the episode they were going to watch promised to have the fight between Oberyn Martell and Ser Gregor Clegane, better known as the Mountain. Since his introduction early in the season, Oberyn had quickly become one of the favorite characters of both Chloe and Rachel.

Chloe knew she had to go back to work the next day, and Rachel was also scheduled to attend rehearsals at her theatre group. A period of normalcy was looming for the couple, and they were both looking forward to it very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will contain some time jumps as we will move forward in the direction of some kind of wedding, or so I heard.
> 
> Also, it is now quite possible that the story will "end" after chapter 29. This is not entirely sure yet, but as of right now I have nothing planned beyond. This might change, who can tell?


	25. The last time

**The last time**

To Chloe, it was a familiar sight. She had been here before. The fallen tree trunk, still in the same place it had been all those previous times. The same feeling of dread as she slowly approached it. A sudden sound coming from nearby bushes distracted her. A squirrel perhaps? Some other small animal? The raven again?

Her attention reverted back to the tree trunk. And there he was, just like the previous time, and all those times before. Her father, William. He looked in her direction and made eye contact. A smile appeared on his face. Chloe slowly approached him.

"I've been waiting for you. Come sit with me."

 _"_ _Why are we here again, dad?"_

"Just look at all of this around us, amazing isn't it? How quick nature restores itself. I can't look away."

 _"_ _You mean the forest? The flowers? The animals?"_

"All of it, Chloe, all of it."

 _"_ _Are you trying to tell me something? Are you going to give me another of those warnings? That I shouldn't be blinded by beauty, that I…"_

"No, Chloe, not this time. I don't have to do that anymore, because I can see you have grown as a person, and so has she. You are here for a very specific reason."

 _"_ _What is it, dad?"_

"You are here so I can tell you that this is the last time you will ever see me in one of your dreams. Soon, you won't need me to guide you anymore."

 _"_ _That's not true dad, I will always need you. But I don't understand… are you leaving me?"_

"I'll never leave you Chloe. You know that. You are my daughter and I will always love you. But what I mean is that you won't need my advice anymore. Someone else will be taking over that responsibility. And I can tell you, she's ready. She will be there for you and you will be there for her. It's time for you and me to say goodbye."

 _"_ _I wish… I wish you could come back. Mom and I still miss you so much."_

"There is nothing I'd want more, Chloe. Ever since I left the house that day… But it can't be done, we can't rewind time. And even if we could, it might have unforeseen consequences. Bring a person back from the dead, and every interaction that person has, every action that person performs will cause a ripple effect. Things might actually end up worse, even if the intention is to make everything better."

 _"_ _I think I understand, dad. But it still doesn't stop me from wishing you could be there when I get married."_

"But I _will_ be there, Chloe. I promise. You might not be able to see me, but I am going to be there. I am part of you, after all, just like your mother is part of you. You will always have your memories of me. You will always have the pictures. On your wedding day, you will feel my presence."

 _"_ _But how? How will I know it's you?"_

"Remember that you asked for a sign from me? I will tell you this, I know who's going to walk you down the aisle. It's unorthodox, but I like the choice you made. And you will _know_ , you will feel me there with you. But as a new phase in your life starts, an old phase will end. Which is why, as I told you earlier, this is the last time you will see me in a dream."

 _"_ _Dad? Can I ask you one more question?"_

"Of course, baby, but this will have to be the last one."

 _"_ _Do you believe Rachel and me are going to be happy?"_

"I believe your friend Max said it best. The world owes you both happiness. You and Rachel have already been through more at this young age than most people in an entire lifetime. I have a good feeling about the two of you together. You will take good care of each other."

 _"_ _Thank you, dad. I'll never forget you. I'm trying not to cry right now."_

"There is no shame in crying, Chloe. And in saying goodbye, please know that to you I will always be William Price, your loving father. I will always be with you. For all the time we did have together, you were the most amazing daughter any father could ever have wished for. I wish you the greatest happiness. Goodbye, my little girl, remember me…"

 _"_ _I will, dad…"_

Chloe couldn't stop her tears anymore, as the image of her father started to fade.

"Remember me…"

The image faded more.

"Remember me…"

Chloe desperately reached in her father's direction. _"Dad…"_ But William's image disappeared…

* * *

**(Los Angeles: summer 2014)**

Chloe woke up with a jolt. One look at the alarm clock told her it was past seven o'clock in the morning. Another look to the other side told her Rachel was still asleep. Wait… it was Rachel's birthday, the 22nd of July. Now they were both 20 years old. No teenagers anymore.

Chloe could still count the number of times she woke up earlier than Rachel in 2014 on the fingers of both her hands, or so she figured. Well, maybe a few times more, but still not that often. But the dream, the dream had seemed so real. What did it mean? No more dreams of William?

There had to be some kind of symbolism behind it. After all, this was both Rachel's birthday as well as it being exactly a hundred days before their wedding. Had her father given her his blessing? Whatever it meant, she wasn't going to forget this dream any day soon.

Everything seemed to be going so fast. Chloe was back in the routine of going to work, Rachel was playing a minor role in some play her group was performing in local theatres, Travis Keaton now being the sole creative director after his friend, the previous creative director had left town.

Mark Jefferson had been sentenced to death by a unanimous jury who considered him guilty on all counts. Nathan Prescott was convicted to 25 years in prison, and immediately sent to a psychiatric hospital on account of his worsening state of mind, which made it unlikely he would ever be released again.

Chloe and Rachel had signed off on the guest list for their wedding, and Steph and Max were going to send the official invitations out soon. The guest list would include Rachel's family on her birth mother's side. James Amber would simply have to accept it or stay away.

But back to the reality of Rachel's birthday. Chloe made her way to the kitchen to prepare a breakfast for her still sleeping princess. Orange juice, tea, toast, strawberry jam and various fruit slices. Pretty much the same as usual, but hey, it was Rachel's favorite breakfast after all. And of course, not to forget the most important ingredient, a healthy dose of Price. Chloe grinned at having thought of it.

Chloe went back to the bedroom, peeked through the door opening to check if Rachel was still asleep. This was the case. She put the breakfast tray down next to the bed, and snuck back out again. _"Where did I leave them"_ , she thought. Rachel's birthday gifts, something she had asked for, and something Chloe just wanted to give to her. Then Chloe suddenly recalled she had hidden two of the gifts in one of the drawers of the large living room cabinet, and the third one on the balcony.

Armed with her gifts, she went back to the bedroom again. Rachel was still asleep. _"I'll just have to be prince charming"_ , Chloe thought as she laid herself on the bed next to her sleeping beauty and immediately kissed her full on the lips.

Rachel opened her eyes. _"Fairytales do exist"_ , Chloe said whilst smiling down at her. "How many times did you kiss me this time", Rachel asked.

 _"_ _Just once"_ , Chloe replied, sounding slightly disappointed. _"But… happy birthday, angel. I didn't forget. I got you these"_. Chloe handed over two giftwrapped presents, and a bouquet of red roses.

"Are these for me? More red roses! You know I love them, they're so beautiful! Thank you, Chloe, I love roses". Chloe put them in the vase that she had already strategically placed near the bed the previous evening.

In the meantime, Rachel very carefully removed the wrapping paper from the other presents, managing not to tear any of it. "Turkish delight, that's so sweet! And wow, this is what I wanted!" Rachel held a book titled 'The World Travel Guide for Adventurers' in her hands. Rachel kissed Chloe, and thanked her again.

Rachel then started browsing the book, getting ever more excited at seeing all the exotic locations. "I'm going to take you everywhere, Chloe Price".

 _"_ _Where are we going first? Like, say, on our honeymoon? We didn't plan it yet, did we?"_

"Where do you want to go, Chloe? What uniquely twisted location does Chloe Price plus Rachel Amber equal?"

 _"_ _Oh… uh… I dunno. Hawaii? Paris? Or maybe just a road trip to Mexico?"_

"Hawaii sounds like fun, maybe we can go there, enjoy the beach, watch the sexy hula girls…"

Chloe started blushing like so many times before. _"I'd rather watch you, Rachel. But, you are being so culturally insensitive here."_

"Pfft… dork." Rachel laughed at Chloe's obviously feigned concern. But, if it will soothe your sensitivities, I can dress up as a hula girl, and give you a special dance… on one condition though…"

 _"_ _You want to fuck, huh?"_

"During our honeymoon? Hella yes. Every day. Don't forget Chloe, marriage comes with certain duties, if you catch my drift…" Rachel winked at Chloe and burst out laughing again.

 _"_ _Screw you, Rachel."_

"Now you got the right idea, miss Price."

 _"_ _A hundred days from now, you won't be able to call me that anymore. Anyway, Rach, I made you breakfast."_ Chloe leaned down and picked up the tray. _"Happy birthday once again. Now eat. We have until three o'clock until Max, Steph and Elaine arrive."_

"Are we going to do something fun?"

 _"_ _Yes, we're going to a restaurant for dinner. Special treat. Your favorite place. And it's only the girls today, our families will be here on Saturday and Sunday, it's still better to keep your dad and your aunt apart for now."_

Chloe smiled as Rachel ate her breakfast, pouncing on her blonde birthday girl the moment she was done, showering her with kisses. Chloe could swear she could taste on the blonde's lips the fruit she had just eaten. It was one major benefit of Rachel's love of breakfast fruit.

* * *

"Happy birthday", Steph, Elaine and Max said in unison to Rachel right after entering the living room. Chloe had let them into the apartment just seconds earlier.

The gifts started to pile up. An astrology book, a make-up kit and a photo collage of pictures featuring Chloe and Rachel in various poses. Rachel said she was very happy with all of it, but nothing made her happier than to be with Chloe and friends.

"The countdown starts today", Steph said. "A hundred days to go. I am so looking forward to it, and I am still very happy that you asked me to be master of ceremonies, and also to help plan all of it with the help of Max. And Elaine has helped too. There's still a few things to be done, but those things can wait until later. We are in a very good position here."

Max nodded in agreement. "The only uncertain factor is the weather. We can't make any predictions as yet. But as you know, the guest list is complete. Steph and I will send out the invitations this Friday, and then we'll have to wait for people to RSVP. I don't expect many cancellations, though. But the venue is flexible. A few more, a few less, it doesn't matter."

Elaine looked at Chloe and Rachel. "What will you both be wearing that day? Have you looked at the options? Dresses? Suits? Matching colors?"

"Yeah, Chloe and I visited a bunch of stores last week. We saw this beautiful black and dark blue dress, it had that whole pirate queen quality to it, Chloe fell in love with it and we had it reserved for us. I'll tell you, it looks great on Chloe.

 _"_ _Strange huh, I never thought I'd be wearing a dress on my wedding day, but as Rachel said, when I saw it, I knew I wanted it. It looks so badass. And we found this really great dark red suit for Rachel that just fits perfectly with it."_

Steph was smiling. "Red for fire, blue for water? Yeah, I can picture it already. It will really display your personalities, and I like the contrast. You are both such unique persons, yet seem to fit together so well. We want to see pictures of those outfits."

Elaine agreed with her girlfriend. "We do need pictures. And yes, Steph, I agree, this is going to be the most awesome wedding ever. Also, I can't wait until it's our turn, Dungeon Master, I'm so going to marry you some day."

"We'll see, Elaine. I just hope all the guests will read the invitations properly", Steph said. "We pointed out the whole fantasy theme. I can't wait to see what people will be wearing. Maybe Max and I will try to make a few calls just to make sure. But that can wait."

* * *

"Can I get you ladies anything else to drink?"

Chloe looked at the waiter, and asked him to bring another bottle of wine. Not much later, the glasses were full again.

 _"_ _Nice dinner we're having. And Rachel, how is the most beautiful girl in the world doing right now?"_

"I don't know Chloe, how are you?"

Steph saw Chloe hold her head between her hands trying to hide the blushing. "Rachel got you there, Chloe, and she's not wrong."

"Definitely not", Elaine added.

Rachel looked at Max. "And speaking of that, how is your situation? Is Warren still in the picture? Or maybe someone else?"

"I could always arrange a girlfriend for you, Max. There are plenty of girls who would want to hook up with a talented photographer like you."

"No thanks, Steph, I'm doing fine. But if you really want to know, Warren is finished at Blackwell, and graduated summa cum laude. He aced everything, his GPA was 4.0+. And I'm sure I told you this already, but he's coming to UCLA for the new school year. We'll see what happens, if anything. You'll certainly see him at the wedding."

 _"_ _He's hella awesome. I will never forget how he went all alpha male on Nathan Prescott that day. I still wish I had done it myself, though. I'm just so glad to know that piece of Prescott shit will be rotting away for the next 25 years. Sorry Rach, I didn't want to bring it up on your birthday."_

"Never mind, Chloe. I'm glad it's all in the past now. We have so much to look forward to. My career is starting to pick up a bit, and you're doing well too."

"Elaine still hasn't seen you in your waitress outfit, Chloe. I think she's the only one here who hasn't, and I think she's a bit jealous. Isn't that right hot stuff?"

"Oh, shut up Steph. There are more important things in the world. I'll show you a nice outfit tonight."

Steph smiled at her girlfriend. "Wow, it's getting hot in here."

Chloe saw two people come into the restaurant. At first, she didn't think anything special about them, but upon further review, the two looked vaguely familiar. Her brain was working overtime to remember where she had seen them before. And suddenly, it struck her.

 _"_ _Rach, can you come with me for a second?"_

"Sure, but why?"

 _"_ _Just come along, I gotta tell you something. In private."_

"We'll be right back", Rachel told Steph, Elaine and Max.

 _"_ _Do you recognize those two? Look at the table right next to ours."_

"Not really, Chloe, should I?"

 _"_ _It's them. That couple we met last year on our road trip to Los Angeles. Pyramid Lake. The ones who didn't want to help us… I mean, the ones who chastised us for making out in public, remember?"_

"Oh yeah. I do recall it."

 _"_ _I want to get back at them, Rachel. Shall we act like really gay in front of them?"_

Rachel smiled at Chloe. "So, you being gay is an act then, is it?"

 _"_ _Dammit, Rachel."_

"Sorry, babe, I'm just making fun of you. I know what you want to do, and it sounds exciting. It'll be an adventure. Let's do this."

Chloe and Rachel held hands in the most visible way they could as they walked back to their table, stopping just short, standing right next to the table where the couple was sitting.

 _"_ _Kiss me now, Rach, I know you want it."_

Chloe embraced Rachel tight as they locked lips. Steph was pointing the scene out to Elaine and Max. "Hey, look at Chloe and Rachel. It's like they're doing it super deliberately obvious, wanting everyone to see. Just… wow!"

Max was watching the couple sitting at the table next to them, who were obviously getting somewhat unsettled by the scene unfolding right next to their table.

The kiss lasted at least two full minutes, Steph was absolutely mesmerized watching the scene unfold.

 _"_ _I can't wait to get married, babe. I am hella gay and I want to be yours."_

"Just three more months, C. And we'll be together forever. I will make you Mrs. Amber and then we will have lots of fun during our honeymoon, if you know what I'm saying."

 _"_ _Hella yes, Rachel. But… can I get an advance on that tonight? I want you, and I want you now."_

Rachel briefly looked at the couple, who were conspicuously trying to avoid eye contact. And then she looked straight back at Chloe. "Meow, you will have me. Take me to heaven tonight."

 _"_ _You know, angel, there are people who believe that if you're gay, you shouldn't make out in public. To keep children safe, and that sort of thing. Screw those people, Rach. We'll do what we want, right?"_

Chloe and Rachel held each other's hands, briefly turned to the couple and looked at them. Then they decided that enough was enough, and returned to the table where the other three women were sitting. Steph held her hand in front of her mouth in disbelief, and Max and Elaine openly wondered what had just happened.

"Chloe, Rachel, I don't know what the hell is going on, but it was awesome… I mean… that was some kiss. But may I ask, why? I'm sure Elaine and Max want to ask the same question."

Chloe started explaining the reason for the act that Rachel and her had just performed. During that explanation, the couple at the table next to them called for the waiter, who re-seated them at another table somewhere else in the restaurant. Chloe considered it mission accomplished.

After dinner, the five young women visited _"The Underground"_ , the famous club they had visited a few times before. Dancing, more drinking, and eventually they all went home by cab. Rachel rewarded Chloe with some well deserved "dessert".

* * *

**(Los Angeles: autumn 2014)**

Time passed quickly in the months after Rachel's birthday. Rachel got her father to admit that he had known about Sera having more family, but he insisted he really didn't know if Sera had more children or not. Rachel told him she believed him and they made their peace. Rachel and Chloe met Rachel's newly discovered family a few times.

James and Rose Amber left Arcadia Bay and moved to Long Beach, where James joined a law firm as a private practice lawyer. David Madsen was considering an offer to join the San Francisco Police Department and Joyce expressed the hope he would accept, she wanted to be closer to her daughter.

Warren arrived at UCLA, but Max still seemed unsure about wanting to start dating him for real. He approached Chloe for help, but she told him it would have to wait until after she had married Rachel.

Kate Marsh published her first children's book, which she had written with the help of Victoria Chase, who had become one of her best friends.

An anonymous hacker published a list of people who had subscribed to Mark Jefferson's Dark Room photo-sets which he had posted on the Darkweb. One local politician from somewhere had to resign in disgrace, and several other people named were hounded by social media users.

Sean Prescott and his businesses were targeted by more investigations, causing several of his business partners to sever ties with him and the Prescott family's grip on Arcadia Bay weakened considerably.

By now it was mid-October, two weeks before the day Chloe and Rachel were set to get married. Rachel had just finished the day's rehearsal with her theatre group, and Chloe had arrived to pick her up and take her back home.

 _"_ _See you later, Mr. Keaton"_ , Chloe said.

Rachel followed up. "Have a great evening Travis!"

"Lovely to see you again, Chloe. And Rachel, we'll see each other again tomorrow. Ars gratia artis! Bye darlings!"

 _"_ _You wanna get some coffee before we go home, Rach?"_

"Sounds like a plan, miss Price."

Suddenly the two young women heard someone clearing his throat. They both looked to the left, and saw a familiar face. It was Frank Bowers.

 _"_ _What are you doing here, Frank? I thought you said we wouldn't see you again."_

"That's not what I said, Chloe. I said you would probably not see me again. Probably and certainly are not the same thing. And you asked what I was doing here, I am here to return something that belongs to Rachel. To get closure."

"You shouldn't have come Frank, you know I don't love you, right?"

"I know that, Rachel. Deep down, I think I've always known. Listen, I meant what I said at the trial. I'm not a fool. Hell, I was probably the first person in the world that knew you two were a couple. I'll admit I tried to fool myself into thinking otherwise for a while, but in the end that never works, does it."

 _"_ _Rachel and me are getting married two weeks from now, you know you can't stop that, right? You said something about bringing something back?"_

"Don't freak out on me, Chloe. I'm not here to stop anything. In fact, you two belong together. Which is why I think it's best that we have this little meeting now, so you won't have to see me again afterwards. Look, I've moved to Arizona, and I found a good woman there. We run a dog shelter together, I'm much happier now. I'm even going to church again. But make no mistake, I am still not a good guy. But let's get to business. Rachel, I want you to take this back from me."

Rachel saw that Frank produced a bracelet from his pocket. "Are you sure, Frank?"

"Yes, please take it. It's wrong for me to have it."

After a moment of hesitation, Rachel accepted the bracelet back. Frank seemed relieved.

"Chloe, Rachel, I want this chapter to be closed forever. No hard feelings, alright? I'm not staying much longer, I have to go back home. Like I told Chloe back in the hospital, you two stay away from people like me. And take good care of each other, you both deserve it. Pompidou sends his regards too."

 _"_ _Frank, I wanted to thank you last year, but you were gone before I had the opportunity."_

"Listen Chloe, there's no need to thank me for anything. I'm just glad it worked out for you two. And I was very happy to hear those two assholes didn't get away with the things they did. Though I still wish I had listened to Pompidou, he fucking warned me that little shit was up to no good… I shall forever regret not killing that worthless prick when I had the chance."

Frank shook hands with Chloe and Rachel, who both thanked him. Frank turned to leave, but said one last thing. "This time, I can promise explicitly that neither of you will ever see me again. I won't seek you out, please return the favor. And have a happy life."

Frank Bowers disappeared from view. Chloe looked at Rachel. "I'm going to need something a lot stronger than coffee now, Rach."

"Yeah, me too. Let's go home."

* * *

The evening before the wedding Chloe and Rachel visited the Santa Monica pier. They had decided to forego bachelorette parties and simply enjoy the day together.

 _"_ _You're a drug, Rachel. And I'm addicted. There's no cure, nor do I want there to be one."_

"You're hella mysterious, Chloe Price. And yes, I do get to call you that this one last evening."

 _"_ _We've sure had an eventful year so far, haven't we? I'm so looking forward to tomorrow."_

"Yeah. I'm glad the wait is over. Ever since we first met, nearly four-and-a-half years ago, you've never stopped being my friend, you've never stopped loving me. You never gave up on me, even though you easily could have, and no one would have blamed you for it."

 _"_ _After tomorrow, I don't ever want to hear that again, Rach. I'm never giving up on you. You are hella mine. We are closing the book of the past, tonight. And tomorrow, we open up a new one."_

"I'm not perfect, Chloe."

 _"_ _I know, Rachel, I've always known. You're not perfect, I'm not perfect, we're not perfect. But we don't need to be perfect, we just need to be there for each other. My father once told me, in one of those dreams, that it doesn't matter how much you change. It only matters how much I can change along with you. And vice versa, I suppose. If we grow together, not apart, we're gonna be good. I want us to be good. Being apart is something I don't even want to think about anymore."_

"You're right. Trying to run away from our problems only made them worse. When we started confronting our issues together, is when things started to get better. When you accepted me into your house, after everything that had happened, I knew we'd make it. And last fall, when you asked me to marry you, I knew we'd last forever. My nightmares and your anxiety episodes will remain with us for some time, maybe they will never go away entirely. But as long as we keep working on our issues, we will get better."

 _"_ _Together, Rach. But still, even today, there are times when I look at you and I still can't believe you're real."_

"If we had told people back in 2010 that we would get married one day, they would have laughed. Because we were so different. And yet, for some strange reason, we fit together. My feelings for you are only getting stronger. You understand me, as I understand you."

 _"_ _After tomorrow, are we going to keep wearing our necklaces and those two bracelets?"_

Rachel reached for the bracelet Chloe was wearing. "I think we should. I have all my bracelets back, except the one I gave you, but there's nowhere I'd rather keep it than on your wrist. And I will never take off this necklace you gave me, never. We're just going to be adding a ring tomorrow. Our wedding rings are not the most expensive things in the world, but they don't need to be. I literally can't wait to put one of those rings on your finger."

 _"_ _I saw the latest weather report, it looks like tomorrow will be a good day. Let's hope they're right about that. The sunset sure looks beautiful tonight."_

"Chloe, starting tomorrow, you and me are gonna kick the worlds ass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a few time jumps. I had to wrap up some things in order to make way for our girls their big day.
> 
> Yes, it looks like the wait is over for Chloe and Rachel. I hope it's going to be worth it! But that will remain to be seen in the next chapter.


	26. Amber and Price

**Amber and Price**

(Los Angeles: October 30th, 2014)

"Wake up, Chloe. It's time to get up."

_"Please let me sleep some more, Rach. I'll be right there, just five minutes, please?"_

"Chloe! It's me, Max. You have to get up, we don't want to be late. This is your big day, remember?"

It was starting to dawn on Chloe. She looked to her right, Rachel wasn't there. Her blonde beauty wasn't next to her in bed. The night had been so lonely. Chloe had barely been able to sleep, and she felt more nervous than she had been at any point in her life. The day had come. The day she had dreamed of for so long. The day that she was going to change her name.

Chloe stretched her arms, audibly inhaled and exhaled a few times, and looked to her left. Max Caulfield was standing there, her childhood friend. But today, Max was going to be much more than that. Wedding photographer and Chloe's best Max… man… dude…

Rachel had spent the night in Steph's apartment. Like Max, Steph was also taking on multiple roles this day. Rachel's witness, and master of ceremonies. And who better than Steph, Arcadia Bay's Gandalf the Gay and most talented Dungeon Master?

Chloe decided she needed a cold shower to wake up properly. Max was going to prepare breakfast for her and help her get dressed. Chloe took another close look at the dress she had selected. Dark blue, black. Nice colors. She was going to look like a pirate queen wearing it, and it was perfect. When she and Rachel had started shopping for outfits she had expected to pick a suit, but that dress, once she saw it, she had to have it. She also had the right boots to go with it. Rachel's dark red suit would be the perfect contrast. Dammit, she couldn't wait to see her girl wearing it.

The quick cold splash had the desired effect. Awake, at last. The breakfast Max had prepared made her feel even better. The dress fit perfectly, the people from the store had done an excellent job making the required adjustments for her. Chloe thought she could get used to wearing it very quickly. Her mind drifted back to Rachel, it still seemed so unreal.

"Chloe, we're going to leave in twenty minutes time. Everything is ready. But the most important question, Chloe, are you ready?"

Chloe felt that strange sensation in her stomach. It was as if a whole host of butterflies were present there. But there was no postponing anything this day. _"Max, if I'm not ready now, I never will be. I'm glad you are with me right now. You made this possible."_

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else today, Chloe. It's kind of funny, actually, I never thought you would get married at such a young age."

_"It reminds me, Batmax… do you know, a long time ago, when I was about nine years old, I told my dad I wanted to marry you. You were my best friend, and I never wanted to be apart from you. Maybe in some alternate universe, we would have done it? You'd be Mrs. Price, or I would be Mrs. Caulfield."_

Chloe displayed an evil grin, and Max had a smile on her face. Who else but Chloe could say such things? For all her obvious nervousness, Chloe still displayed her wicked sense of humor. "Who knows, Chloe, maybe? But as for this universe, I can only say I'm flattered. You are going to make Rachel very happy, and I'm sure she's going to make you very happy too."

"I like to think so, Max. Rachel and I talked about it last evening. We actually stood at the very spot where we will get married today. Today is the start of a new book for us, we're closing the old one. Now we can finally get started for real."

Max nodded her head in agreement. "That's a good way of putting it. But speaking of today, I have to tell you something. And at this same moment, Steph will be telling Rachel the very same thing. There is a special surprise for you both, later today. Steph arranged it, and I think that you and Rachel are really going to like it. But I can't tell you what it is, you will have to be patient. The only thing I can tell you is that a lot of effort has gone into pulling this off."

Chloe smiled at Max. A special surprise, what could it possibly be? She wanted to know, right now. But she knew Max, there was no way of getting information from her childhood friend if Max didn't want to give it up. At least there was something to look forward to, something else besides becoming one with Rachel. But there was some anxiety too, and it started playing up. _"I can barely breathe, Max. I'm getting more nervous by the minute. What if I freeze during the ceremony? You know me, I'm not the most stable person in the world."_

"Don't worry, Chloe. Steph and I have got you both covered. I like the vows that you and Rachel decided on. They fit you both really well, I know you are both such huge fans of that show, and it's really something different."

Max's cellphone started buzzing. Chloe saw Max read the text messages she was obviously receiving. Max then pressed a few buttons and was soon having a long-distance conversation with someone. Well, maybe not _that_ long-distance. The someone on the other side of the phone call apparently listened to the name Steph. _"Who else could it have been?"_ Chloe thought to herself.

After ending the phone call, Max looked at Chloe. "We have to leave in five minutes, it's important to keep the schedule".

_"I gathered that, Max. By the way, where's your photography equipment? You don't seem to have your camera on you at all."_

"Elaine Gonzalez is going to bring all my stuff. I will make photographs whenever I can, and Elaine will cover for me when I'm needed for the ceremony. It's going to work out just fine. Nothing can go wrong, Chloe. Just look at the weather outside… sunshine, not a cloud in sight, and it's pretty warm for the time of the year. The stars are aligned, the universe is doing its part today."

_"What about my hair and make-up?"_

"I never knew you to be worried about those things, Chloe. But once more, don't worry. We have that covered, too. You already know that we hired someone to do hair and make-up for Rachel and yourself, maybe you just forgot? But that's alright. She should be on-site already when we arrive. Now, let's go, and make your big day a day to remember."

* * *

**(Santa Monica, October 30th, 2014)**

Chloe looked out of the passenger seat window of Max's car. So many people going about their daily routine. Most of them blissfully unaware of what was going to take place in Chloe's life. But Chloe supposed that was true for most people's weddings. Unless you were some kind of Hollywood star, or European royalty. And she was neither, at best she was a few steps removed from junkyard trash. And Rachel had also come from far, just over a year ago she had essentially been nothing but a recovering junkie, and on top of that she had suffered a hellish ordeal. Chloe did hope that maybe one day, Rachel's dream of becoming famous would come true.

Chloe was pleased about the day's schedule. There had been no bachelorette parties the day before, no limousine coming to pick her up on this day itself, nothing too fancy. Just the way she liked it. More importantly, there would not be hundreds of guests at her wedding, half of whom she would barely be able to recognize. Max and Steph had done very well planning everything. It was going to an intimate affair, family, friends and colleagues only.

Max parked her car near the site where it was all going to happen. Chloe took a deep breath, and exited the car herself. The beach club building was obviously ready. Especially reserved for her, Rachel and their guests. Chloe walked through the building and saw the whole setup outside, ready to go. Chairs, decorations, altar, you name it. She looked around, but didn't see Rachel. Where was her blonde wife-to-be?

Chloe saw Max look at her phone once more. Max took Chloe's hand and asked her to come along. She was brought into a room where someone unfamiliar to her was waiting. The room had privacy, a mirror had been set up. Max introduced Chloe to the hair and make-up artist. "My name is Rhianna", the woman said. Max reassured Chloe by saying she would return in a short while.

Rhianna seemed friendly to Chloe. "Don't worry, Chloe. I've been told to apply only the bare minimum in terms of make-up. And you don't need much to begin with, you are a natural beauty". Chloe started blushing. "But I'm going to start with your hair, I'll use just a little bit of this spray. It's not the sticky kind, relax. I'm already finished with your fiancée, she was just here five minutes ago".

That got Chloe's attention. Rachel was here. Her bride was here. How was it possible that she hadn't seen her yet? Maybe that explained why Max kept looking at her phone all the time, it had been deliberately planned this way.

Chloe wanted to know, and asked the make-up artist about Rachel. _"Did she say anything?"_

"Only that this day was her dream come true. And now that I see you, I understand what she meant. Her hair was easy to do. She's got that long, blonde, free flowing hair. I'm told you like it when she wears it that way."

 _"Dammit, make-up woman… Rhianna…"_ , Chloe thought. _"Don't spoil it"_. But then again, Rachel had already told her the previous evening that was going to be her look for the day. And yes, it was true, Chloe did like it when Rachel wore it that way, and she liked touching Rachel's hair a lot. And not just the hair, either.

Chloe kept looking at herself in the mirror. Rhianna was doing a great job with her hair. Her blue hair, with those subtle hints of pink Rachel liked so much. It had the perfect length too, not too long, not too short. And then there were the accessories. The three-bullet necklaces she had made, one for herself, one for Rachel as an engagement gift. The bracelet Rachel had given her in return. They were a complete match in that perspective.

But there was going to be one crucial difference. Rachel's mysterious blue feather earring. Another one of those things Chloe loved to touch, often. Of course, it wasn't really mysterious anymore, since Rachel had explained what it meant to her, but Chloe still liked to refer to the earring as mysterious.

"What do you think, Chloe? Do you like your hair this way? Not too much make-up?"

_"I like the way you did my hair, and the make-up is perfect. Thank you, Rhianna, you've done a great job"._

Chloe looked at herself in the mirror. _"Yeah"_ , it was probably one of the first times in her adult life that she looked at herself and liked what she saw. Confidence, Rachel had helped her build it. But she was still nervous, though for other reasons. Normal reasons. Logical reasons. You don't get married every day, after all, and particularly not to someone as special as Rachel freakin' Amber. It was a strange match, they had so little in common, and yet, at the same time, they had so much in common. Who could explain it?

Max opened the door and entered the room. Rhianna told her she was done. Max pointed Rhianna in the direction of Steph, and then closed the door again. "Wowser, you look absolutely gorgeous, Chloe. Most of the guests are here already, we're serving coffee and cake outside. Everyone wants to see you both, but they will just have to wait until you both emerge from this building. I absolutely love the way you both decided to do this."

_"Max, Rachel and I wanted to avoid any awkward pre-ceremony stuff. I hope everyone understands, but it is our choice to do it this way. Ceremony first, shaking hands and all that business after."_

"And are you still sure you don't want to carry any flowers down the aisle?"

_"I'm just going to hold her hand, Max. That's all. Keep the flowers where they are right now, it's better that way."_

"Alright, we will do that, it's your day after all and…"

There was a knock on the door. Max walked over and opened it, Rachel was standing there. Max said that she was going to leave the room, and that either she or Steph would come checking in on both brides in about half an hour or so, when the ceremony was scheduled to commence.

Rachel sat down next to her bride. "The weather's perfect, Chloe. It's really gonna be our day."

_"Rach, you look wonderful, so pretty. Even more so than you normally already do. But uh… isn't it bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony?"_

Rachel smiled at Chloe. "Only for the groom, babe, and do you see a groom around here? I don't. Brides can do whatever they want. Hey, we make our own rules, right?"

_"I guess so, Rachel. I'm trying to relax right now, but I'm so nervous. I've wanted this for so long, and now it's so close, literally right around the corner."_

"You know, Chloe, we can still elope if you want it. It isn't too late yet. We could sneak out and drive to Las Vegas or somewhere else, and get married there, just you and me."

Chloe saw Rachel wink at her, and she started swooning. Rachel was happy to see Chloe laugh. Both brides knew that neither of them wanted to wait any longer. Plus, all the guests were already there and waiting for them to emerge from the building. _"Rachel, eloping sounds like an adventure, but I don't want to run away anymore."_

"Neither do I, my angel. You saved me, and I want to be yours, right now. Right here, where everyone we know can see us."

_"You saved me too, Rach. More than four years ago, remember? At the Old Mill? The concert?"_

"I'll never forget that day, Chloe. We've come all the way from there to here. Our Santa Monica dream, it's right here, today. More real than ever before. And despite all the things that happened, our future starts now."

Chloe and Rachel could both hear music playing outside. One of the many songs that they had selected to be played that day. It made Chloe think about the song she had picked for their walk down the aisle. The very same song her mother and late father had used for their own wedding, all those many years ago, which her mother had told her about. Chloe desperately wanted something of her father to be present, and picking that song was going to do it for her.

Rachel had picked a completely different song, a more recent one. They both agreed that the combination of songs was representative of the both of them. Different, yet complementary.

Another knock on the door. Steph opened the door and peeked into the room. "Are you both ready? Everything is set, everyone is here, we can start any moment you want."

"Give us five minutes, Steph."

"Alright, Rachel. When you both exit the room, I'll give the signal for Chloe's song to be played, followed by your song. We're ready for you."

Chloe took another deep breath. Her nerves were still holding, but it was getting more difficult to keep her composure. _"Rachel, I'm going to start crying soon, I don't think I can control it much longer."_

Rachel softly caressed Chloe on her right cheek, trying to put her at ease. "I'm as nervous as you are. But together, we can do this. I think we should walk slowly, and just take in the atmosphere, the weather and look at the guests."

Rachel saw that Chloe was starting to do her breathing exercises, the ones she usually did whenever she had anxiety issues. Rachel held both of Chloe's hands, and just smiled at her blue haired bride. Neither of them said anything for about two minutes. After one final sigh, Chloe looked towards Rachel.

_"I'm ready, Rach. Shall we make our Santa Monica dream reality?"_

Rachel nodded in agreement, kissed Chloe on her forehead, and with her right hand took Chloe's left hand. She opened the door, and almost immediately, the song Chloe had picked started to play.

* * *

_We said we'd walk together, baby come what may  
That come the twilight, should we lose our way_

The two brides emerged from the beach club building. They were holding hands, and for a few moments they stood still, only a dozen yards or so from the nearest row of chairs. Rachel looked to her right, and saw that Chloe was smiling back at her. Just a little squeeze of the hand, they were ready. Very slowly, they made their way forward. Everyone was looking back at them. Chloe and Rachel had decided to walk each other down the aisle, and most guests understood why.

 _If as we're walking, a hand should slip free_  
_I'll wait for you_  
_And should I fall behind_  
_Wait for me_

The sun was shining brightly. California weather had obviously accepted the invitation. As Max had mentioned earlier, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, not one. The first people Chloe noticed where those standing near the altar. Steph Gingrich, Steph's girlfriend Elaine Gonzalez, Travis Keaton and Max Caulfield. Elaine was holding a video camera, and Max was busy taking lots of pictures.

_We swore we'd travel, darlin' side-by-side  
We'd help each other, stay in stride_

Chloe saw Dan Romero, the diner owner. He was smiling, even more so than he usually did. He had come along with Chloe's colleagues Darlene and Ellen. They had also volunteered to do the catering. Also present were a few of the members of Rachel's theatre group. Work was well represented.

 _But each lover's steps fall, so differently_  
_But I'll wait for you_  
_And should I fall behind_  
_Wait for me_

Chloe noticed a framed picture standing near the altar. She couldn't quite identify who was in the picture yet. But as she and Rachel slowly made their way forward, the mystery would eventually solve itself.

 _Now everyone dreams of, a love lasting and true_  
_But you and I know what this world can do_

So many familiar faces amongst the guests. Chloe saw Gareth and Eli, the two young men they had met in Las Vegas. Both couples had become good friends. Gareth had recently told Chloe and Rachel that he had successfully proposed to Eli just weeks earlier. Another wedding on the schedule.

 _So let's make our steps clear, that the other may see_  
_And I'll wait for you_  
_Should I fall behind_  
_Wait for me_

Gareth and Eli planned their wedding for the spring of next year. Gareth was holding his fiancé's hand, and Chloe could see tears on Eli's face. She hoped the tears would not be contagious but she knew better, it wouldn't be long before her tears would start flowing too.

_Now there's a beautiful river, in the valley ahead  
And there 'neath the oak's bough, soon we will be wed_

Familiar people from their Arcadia Bay days. Mrs. Grant was there, Blackwell's principal. Sitting with her were Kate Marsh, Victoria Chase, Justin Williams and Warren Graham. Warren was obviously dressed as some kind of mad scientist. He had clearly read the instructions on the invitation, mentioning the fantasy theme. And fantasy was a broad theme, as Chloe deduced from the wide variety of costumes that some people were wearing.

 _Should we lose each other, in the shadow of the evening trees_  
_I'll wait for you_  
_And should I fall behind_  
_Wait for me_

Not everyone had come dressed in some fantasy costume, but that was alright. There had been a solid response, and that was enough. Chloe and Rachel were more than halfway towards the altar, and the song Chloe had selected ended. The two brides stopped for a few seconds, looked at each other, and kissed briefly. Chloe was smiling but Rachel could see she was close to tears. Then, Rachel's song started to play.

 _Open up my eyes and feel your heartbeat_  
_As we lay with your body pressed against mine_  
_And I know, and I know this very moment_  
_This will be, this will be 'til the end of time_  
_I want you to know_

Chloe's uncle had come, her father's brother. He had brought his wife, Chloe's aunt, and his three children, Chloe's cousins. A few more members of the Price family were sitting right there with them. And her mother's side of the family was well represented too, including Chloe's grandmother.

Rachel, still holding Chloe's hand tight, looked to her left. She saw her recently discovered aunt Maraia, her birth mother Sera's sister. And the rest of the Gearhardt-Johnson family had come with her. Maraia's husband, Jack Johnson, and Rachel's older cousins Jack junior and Anne. Junior had even brought his girlfriend. It made Rachel smile, the larger the family, the better. And legally speaking, her family was about to expand again, significantly.

 _This love is more than chemical_  
_It feels unusual_  
_And I can't get enough_  
_You know-oh-oh_

The Amber family had turned up as well. The part of Rachel's family that her father had not kept hidden from her all these years. And speaking of her father, they had made their peace and Rachel was determined to leave it at that. Neither she, nor her father were even remotely interested in dragging the past up again.

 _This love is more than chemical_  
_And we're unbreakable_  
_Oh be forevermore_  
_More than chemical_

Chloe and Rachel reached the front row. As expected, Chloe's mother Joyce was there. David Madsen, her stepfather, was sitting right next to her mother. James Amber and his wife Rose were sitting on the other side of the aisle. To Chloe, James Amber didn't look very happy, or maybe she was just imagining things. Either way, it didn't matter. She and Rachel were where they wanted to be.

 _Every time the darkness falls around me_  
_I can feel you move beneath my skin_  
_Eh and… something strange is happening inside me_  
_Don't know where you end and I begin_  
_I want you to know_

Chloe had noticed the framed picture near the altar early on. But now, she could clearly see who it was. As she chastised herself for not recognizing him earlier, tears started rolling down her cheeks. Steph and Max had arranged for a picture of her father, William. She had wanted it, yet still she was overcome with emotion.

It was right at this moment she felt something touch her right arm. She looked to her right, but there was no one there. Was it a sign from him? Was it William delivering on his promise? Or was she once again imagining things? Again, it didn't matter, she would forever be able to say she felt his presence on this day, the day she would marry the love of her life.

 _This love is more than chemical_  
_It feels unusual_  
_And I can't get enough_  
_You know-oh-oh_

Chloe briefly looked at her mother, who was also crying. Chloe understood. She had picked _their_ wedding song, and William's picture added to the intensity of the moment. David Madsen was comforting Joyce. Rachel reached for Chloe's face. She very carefully wiped the blue tears from her bride's cheeks with a tissue that Steph had handed her seconds earlier for that exact purpose.

 _This love is more than chemical_  
_And we're unbreakable_  
_Oh be forevermore_  
_More than chemical_

The music died down. Chloe smiled at Rachel, who smiled back. They had reached their destination. Their four-year journey was ending. A journey that had taken them across high mountains, and deep valleys. And at the same time, a new journey was beginning. Or maybe it was all the same journey, and this was just one of the many stops on the way. Though everyone would agree that this was a major stop.

* * *

Steph invited Chloe and Rachel to sit down on the two chairs that were closest to the altar. Elaine and Mr. Keaton also sat down, as Max made a few more pictures to preserve the moment for all times to come. Max picked up the video camera, and positioned herself for recording the next part of the ceremony. Steph walked towards the center, and stood in front of the altar, right in the middle, facing Chloe and Rachel and all the guests.

_"Hello everyone!_

_For those of you who don't know me, my name is Steph Gingrich and I was asked by Chloe and Rachel to be master of ceremonies at this very special day for the both of them._

_I want to start by thanking everyone for being here to celebrate this unique wedding. Chloe, you look absolutely stunning today, that is one great looking dress, maybe I can borrow it when it's my turn? And sitting next to our pirate queen is her bride, Rachel. And doesn't Rachel look amazing in that suit? I can hardly take my eyes off the both of you. I am very honored to be doing this and I hope that my small contribution will help make this a day to remember._

_Chloe, Rachel, I've known both of you for many years now. We were at Blackwell together, and we were classmates for a while. I'm trying to think of the day that I first realized that the two of you might well end up together. If I recall correctly, somewhere back in 2010, Chloe told me she was going to attend the clandestine Firewalk concert at the Old Mill. I immediately remembered that the day before, Rachel had asked me if I could tell her about things that Chloe liked. Chloe, if you've ever wondered who told Rachel about the Firewalk concert, it was me._

_I knew some fire had been lit when barely two days later, Chloe approached me and wanted to talk about certain sensitive issues. I knew immediately what she meant. I took Chloe with me to my parents' house, and I asked her if she was in love with you, Rachel. Chloe confirmed my suspicion, and told me she felt very confused. I told her_ "love is love" _and suggested she should follow her feelings._

_And then, the moment that those who were there can all still remember. The evening that the Tempest play was performed. Chloe and Rachel had skipped school one afternoon, and that had gotten Chloe suspended from Blackwell, and Rachel had been removed from her part in the play as Prospera. Mr. Keaton, the drama teacher, present here today as the wedding officiant, invited Rachel backstage anyway, and Chloe joined her. Things happened, and Rachel got her part back. Even Chloe ended up on stage. Mr. Keaton will tell you a few things about that after I'm finished._

_Chloe, Rachel, you are two of my all-time favorite classmates. You are both very different, yet there is something about your dynamic that makes me feel you two belong together. You each fill a critical need in the other. Chloe, I saw the strength that you drew from being with Rachel, it lifted you up. You started to look happy again. And that is still true today, even more so. Rachel, you seemed very comfortable whenever you were with Chloe. She managed to make you feel at ease, like no one else could at the time._

_Even I was able to draw energy from your dynamic. It made me happy to see the both of you together, I felt the obvious chemistry. The love you had for each other was so clearly visible. But as most people here are aware, you two have experienced a lot, more than most people your age. And unfortunately, not all of it was pleasant. You have both asked me to briefly point this out. Rachel was kidnapped and held prisoner for many months. Chloe suffered because of her absence._

_It pained me to hear how hard the times had been for the both of you, how fate had nearly pulled you apart forever. But fortunately, destiny intervened and put you two back together, where you belong. And as hard as those times must have been for you, we can all take comfort in knowing that there was something great yet to come. Ever since the spring of last year, you two have been rebuilding your relationship, and now we have arrived at this wonderful stage._

_And as we are here today, let us celebrate the lives of Chloe and Rachel, and the bright future ahead for both of them. Chloe, Rachel, you are both driven, intelligent and the most kindhearted people many of us here will ever meet. Seeing how you both put thought, effort and dedication in everything you do, makes us all here incredibly happy. We are the lucky ones, lucky that we get to experience part of this journey with you._

_When is something a crush? When is it teenage love that might pass? Can you really know if someone is right for you at such a young age? As Chloe told me she said to Rachel, sometimes when you meet someone who's going to change your life, you just know it. And in their case, they just knew it._

_It can be a great comfort knowing you will always have someone by your side who is caring, spontaneous, loving and supportive. I'm going to wrap this up with a little advice. Love can never be perfect. It isn't a fairytale or a storybook and it doesn't always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to stay together, good times and bad times, holding on and most importantly, never letting go._

_Chloe, Rachel, I hope that years from now you can both look back on this day and say to each other "You've made my happiness so great, that e'en the name of liberty was forgotten". I love you both very much, and so does everyone else here._

_For those of you that don't know yet, Chloe and Rachel are going to combine their last names. They will both officially become Mrs. Amber-Price. However, they wish to state that from this day forward, they strongly prefer being addressed simply as Mrs. Amber._

_Chloe, Rachel, cheers to both of you. May your love last forever! Congratulations! And let's make sure we will play some Dungeons and Dragons in the future."_

* * *

All those in attendance applauded Steph for the speech she had just made. Joyce was in tears, as she had been nearly throughout the whole ceremony so far. Steph herself was quite content with how her speech had worked out. The only person that was looking a bit strange was James Amber, Rachel's father. Steph thought he had a look of resignation on his face. But whatever, maybe it was just his way of dealing with emotions.

Both Chloe and Rachel got up from their chairs and hugged Steph. Max was still very busy with her video camera, and Steph's girlfriend Elaine was preparing to take over from her, as Max would soon be taking on a different role.

After about two minutes or so, Mr. Keaton stepped up, and called everyone to attention again.

"Darlings, everyone. My name is Travis Keaton, creative director of the Saturn Theatre Group. Also, I used to be the drama teacher at Blackwell, which is the reason I have known both Rachel and Chloe for some time. I am deeply humbled to have been asked to perform this most important part here today.

We have all listened to the great speech my colleague Stephanie just made. Thank you, darling. And I can put everyone at ease, I will keep it short so we can begin the official part of the ceremony in a few minutes. But I will make a few remarks before we begin.

Rachel had only just joined my drama class, and she had blown the doors off her audition with a heartbreaking reading of Blanche DuBois from Tennessee Williams' wonderful play _"A streetcar named desire"_. I was at once enthralled by her acting talent. And she has proven again and again that she is a natural. Today, she is a member of my theatre group, and I do believe she will achieve great things. But who can tell how things will work out? We don't have a crystal ball and we can't see the future, no matter how much we may desire it.

And speaking of talent, don't think I've forgotten about you, Chloe. Recalling the Tempest, one of the performers was late, you were asked to step in. I told you, that upon your slender shoulders rested the fate of the production. You immediately said, and I think this is an exact quote _"I'd say you're pretty well fucked"_. But you saved the production. All the reviews raved about your scene with Rachel. I can truly say that it was magical! Hopefully, today will be at least as magical, maybe even more so."

* * *

Mr. Keaton cleared his throat, and continued. "Having said these things, ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the most important part of our gathering here. As wedding officiant, I invite both Rachel and Chloe to stand up, side-by-side. I also invite the witnesses, Stephanie and Maxine, to join us here.

Everyone, dearly beloved, darlings, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join these two young people, Rachel and Chloe, together in marriage. Marriage is a union of two people in heart, body and soul. It is intended for their mutual joy, and for the help and comfort they can give one another in prosperity and adversity. If there is anyone present here today who feels that these two should not be joined together, let this person speak now or forever remain silent."

It was quiet for about ten seconds. Chloe audibly sighed as she was getting extremely nervous. Rachel looked at her father as if almost warning him to stay quiet. But it wasn't necessary. Hearing no one speak, Mr. Keaton proceeded.

"Rachel and Chloe have decided to do things a little differently. In accordance with the theme set for this wedding, the vows will be spoken in the style of one of today's most popular TV series. The Game of Thrones.

Rachel, Chloe, in the presence of everyone here, I now bind your hands together with this ribbon, to seal your souls together and to symbolize your new union of friendship, partnership, trust and above all love. Now, please look at one another and pledge your vows to seal your union."

Rachel turned towards Chloe and smiled. Chloe awkwardly smiled back. It was time.

"You."

_"You."_

"Me."

_"Me."_

"Friend."

_"Friend."_

"Partner."

_"Partner."_

"Protector."

_"Protector."_

"Healer."

_"Healer."_

"Lover."

_"Lover."_

"Chloe Elizabeth Price, I am yours. You are mine."

_"Rachel Dawn Amber, I am yours. You are mine."_

"I take you as my wife in marriage."

_"I also take you as my wife in marriage."_

"To love you, comfort you, honor you and keep you."

_"To love you, comfort you, honor you and keep you."_

"In good times and in bad times, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health."

_"In good times and in bad times, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health."_

"Forsaking all others, faithful only to you, from this day until the end of my days."

_"Forsaking all others, faithful only to you, from this day until the end of my days."_

Mr. Keaton removed the ribbon, and Steph and Max handed Rachel and Chloe the wedding rings. Rachel took Chloe's hand, and softly slid the ring onto her bride's finger. Chloe was visibly struggling with her composure, but nevertheless managed to complete the same ritual Rachel had, placing the matching ring onto Rachel's finger. Rachel was close to tears as well. And so were many of those in attendance, Chloe's mother Joyce most visibly of all.

Mr. Keaton then broke the brief silence and spoke the words. "I, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the state of California, declare you to be legally wed, in accordance with all applicable laws. Rachel, Chloe, it is my privilege to pronounce you to be spouses for life. Darlings, you may each now kiss the bride."

Chloe immediately wrapped her arms around Rachel's body, Rachel did the same to Chloe, and just a fraction of a second later their lips touched. And both of them were determined to make it last, crying, smiling and kissing at the same time.

Mr. Keaton followed up. "We ask that their days be long, and be seasoned with love, understanding, and respect. And may all of us be blessed by love as it shines through them all of their lives. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise. I have the honor to present to you this beautiful couple, Rachel and Chloe Amber-Price."

All the guests applauded as Rachel and Chloe continued to seal their union by giving each other the longest lasting kiss they had ever shared. From this moment forward, they would be forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The remainder of the wedding day will be covered in the next chapter. This will include the surprise Max mentioned to Chloe. This was done for pacing reasons.
> 
> Song credits:  
> "If I should fall behind" by Bruce Springsteen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmxBDfNIP6k  
> "Chemical" by Kerli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbNEuLQVgMI


	27. Where we met

**Where we met**

(Santa Monica: October 30th, 2014)

Chloe saw her mother look at her. Joyce's eyes were still red from crying. But the look of joy on her face was clear. Her daughter looked so beautiful. A few steps towards each other, and a tight embrace. Joyce gave Chloe three kisses.

"I'm so happy for you, my baby. I just… I love seeing you like this. I hope with all my heart that you will both be very happy for the rest of your lives. The smile on your face right now, that is all a mother can wish for her child."

Chloe was herself clearly displaying on her face the evidence of the rollercoaster of emotions that had been the past year-and-a-half.

_"Thank you so much for everything, mom. For helping me nurse Rachel back to health, for supporting us… all of it. This is my dream, mom. A dream that is now reality."_

"Chloe, I want to thank you as well. Thank you for bringing William here today, his picture. He would have been so proud of you. Thank you for picking our wedding song and making it yours too. There are no words to express how grateful I am for that. I'm just wondering, should I call you and Rachel both Mrs. Amber now?"

_"Come on, mom. You can just call me Chloe if you want. That's the name you gave me, right? And Rachel won't mind you calling her Rachel. Though I will say that it will probably feel a bit weird in the beginning, having people call me Mrs. Amber, but it was our decision to do it like that."_

"I understand why you wanted it. To me, your happiness is what matters."

Joyce looked to her left and saw the Ambers talking to their daughter. People were starting to queue in order to be able to congratulate the newlyweds. Joyce stepped aside and watched as David Madsen hugged Chloe and congratulated her as well.

"This old man is very privileged to have been able to witness this today. You look absolutely great. I give you my most heartfelt congratulations. I'm glad it has all worked out in the end."

_"You're not that old, stepdad. And I wouldn't have wanted you anywhere else today. You're my hero, remember? I'll never forget what you did for us. I'm still sorry for being such an asshole to you."_

"I said it before and I'll say it again, Chloe. It's all in the past and let's keep it there, shall we? I wasn't exactly on my best behavior either. From now on, we look forward, deal?"

_"Deal. And thank you for coming."_

James Amber extended his hand to Chloe and congratulated her as well. "Welcome to the family, Chloe. And don't worry, you have nothing to fear from me. You are the reason we didn't lose our daughter."

_"I love her as much as you do. I promise to do everything I can to make her happy."_

"I know you will. And I will continue to support you both, no strings attached. I admit that I still need to get used to this idea, but I swear to never again do anything that might hurt Rachel. I know I've said it before, but I just want to reaffirm it today."

Rose Amber hugged Chloe and they had a brief talk. Rachel's parents then made space for the other guests.

First up was Chloe's witness and childhood friend. "Hey pirate queen, seems like you've secured your treasure today, and joined Rachel's fleet."

_"Yeah, you could say that. Rachel might be my admiral, but you'll always be my First Max. I really do feel different now. Such a strange feeling to realize I got married."_

"Remember that day on the shore when we found that bottle? We were so excited when we saw that there was a piece of paper in it, which we thought might be a treasure map or something?"

_"I do recall that. We were so disappointed when there was literally nothing on that piece of paper. But mom's pancakes made up for it. Max, I'll never forget the great times we had together as kids. And I hope that we can still regularly hang out with each other in the coming years."_

"I want that as well. I'll always want to go on another adventure with Captain Chloe. But I won't keep all those others waiting. We'll talk again later today, there's still that surprise that I promised you earlier."

Max made way for Steph who immediately hugged and kissed Chloe. "Congratulations, Callamastia. Seems you just secured a +10 on all your dice rolls for the rest of your life. I love seeing you looking as gorgeous as you do today. I'm almost jealous of Rachel."

Chloe sighed and shook her head. But then a huge grin appeared on both their faces. _"Well, now that Rachel and me are married, I guess it's your turn? When's the big day? And I'd love to play some Dungeons and Dragons now that you say I got all those sweet modifiers."_

"Elaine and I are not at that stage yet. She's going to finish school first. And we should schedule another game soon. Elaine has this really cool custom-made shirt which says _'I banged the DM for a +10 battle-axe'_. We'll see. Oh, and before I forget, once you and Rachel are finished with all of these people here, we'll be opening up the cold buffet. As you can see, it's all being brought in right now."

_"Alright, and thanks Steph, it's been an awesome day so far. Rachel and I will come up with a way to thank all of you for everything you've done."_

Many hugs, handshakes, congratulations and small talks later, both women were finally able to look at each other again. The gifts had piled up. Flowers were everywhere. Chloe took Rachel's hands, and the two just smiled at each other.

* * *

Both brides failed to notice another person walking towards them. He was dressed in a regular suit, appropriate for a wedding guest, and he was carrying a bouquet of flowers. As he came within a few yards of the couple, Chloe turned her head and saw who it was. She nearly freaked out.

_"Eliot, what are you doing here?"_

Rachel deliberately kept hold of Chloe's hand. She knew who he was. The guy Chloe used to hang out with _before_ her. And, as previous events in the year had established, her second cousin. Time to hit him with a sledgehammer.

"We don't remember inviting you."

Eliot briefly lowered his head. It was true, he was not on the guest list.

"I know neither of you wanted me here, but I had to come. Chloe, we never had a proper ending to what we had."

Chloe still couldn't believe it. Was Eliot going to make a scene and ruin their big day? She sighed and shook her head.

_"And just what was it you think we had? It was never more than a friendship. I'm sorry if anything I did ever led you to believe there was more."_

Surprisingly, Eliot's facial expression seemed to indicate he agreed. "I know that, Chloe. And you're not the one that needs to apologize, that would be me. I'm sorry for stalking you for a while after you hooked up with Rachel. I was very jealous. Maybe I imagined things that I should not have imagined."

Eliot offered the flowers to Chloe. She accepted them because she didn't want to drag the situation out. Eliot then extended his hand, and Chloe decided to reciprocate. "I just want to congratulate you both. I really hope you'll both be very happy. I heard about some of the things that happened, and it must have been terrible, especially for Rachel."

Eliot shook Rachel's hand as well. Chloe looked at her bride and saw she still had a look of confusion on her face, not too ecstatic to be reminded of this part of Chloe's past. Chloe wanted to attempt to make everyone feel a little more at ease.

_"So, Eliot, what are you doing these days?"_

"Me? I'm studying law at Stanford. Chloe, you shouldn't worry about me. Like I said, we didn't really have a proper ending, but I am definitely over it. I'm even seeing someone right now, maybe I should have brought her to make this a little less uneasy. Anyway, I'm not staying, I just wanted to say the things I already said. Congratulations, once more."

Chloe laughed. _"Thank you very much. You know, I don't hate you, I never did. It was cool to hang out with you. I hope you don't mind me saying that, Rachel."_

"Of course not, Chloe. And Eliot, thank you for coming. I'm sorry for being so rude early on."

"Don't worry about that, Rachel. I can imagine why you did it. And maybe we'll see each other more often, on account of us being family. I have to say, I really didn't know."

"My father sure did a great job hiding it all."

_"Let's leave all of that in the past. Eliot, are you sure you don't want a bite to eat, or a drink?"_

"No, I'll leave you all to it. Thank you for accepting my flowers and my congratulations."

Eliot turned around and left. Chloe and Rachel just stared at each other for a few moments.

_"Well, what can I say, Rachel. That was weird… but I kinda liked the way that went. He's not a bad guy."_

"Yeah, I know he isn't, but… talk about closure. And Chloe… I love you, you're mine. Come, let's join our guests."

* * *

The cold buffet came and went. Everyone was having a great time. The weather remained as perfect as it had been all day.

"You'll have to excuse me for a second", Steph said as she was holding her cellphone. "Max, can you come with me, he's here."

David Madsen addressed Chloe and Rachel. "So, tell me, how does it feel, married life?"

_"Oh, come on, stepdad. You should know a lot better than Rachel and me can. I think that it's going to take some getting used to, but I like the feeling so far."_

Chloe reached to her right and kissed Rachel on the cheek.

Joyce looked at her daughter. "Do you think you'll visit Arcadia Bay ever again? I mean, while David and I still live there?"

_"I don't know, mom. Not in the near future. Rachel and I aren't ready, and we might never be. I really hope that you and David can move to San Francisco like you mentioned. But of course, dad's grave will always be in Arcadia Bay."_

"We should visit it together someday, Chloe. I just realized, we've never done that, not since the funeral. And David and Rachel should come too, if they want. But let's talk about happier things. When is your honeymoon starting, and where were you going?"

"Chloe and I are going to Hawaii, we leave tomorrow, early in the evening. Dad paid for it. I hope the weather will hold for at least another week or so. Dad, thank you. And Chloe, I'm going to show you the world."

_"You know I'll go anywhere with you, Rach."_

James Amber finished another glass of champaign. "How's your acting career going, daughter?"

"It's going well. I'm really starting to get somewhere. Our lead actress has left for Broadway, and Travis… Mr. Keaton… said he was considering to replace her with me."

"That's good. I hope you'll be really successful."

"Thanks, dad. I'm going to do my best. This is what I always wanted to do. And maybe I'll try becoming a singer in a band. Best to hedge my bets, like you always said."

"I'm glad you're happy, Rachel. That's all I want for you. And I learned a valuable lesson, parents shouldn't try to plan their children's lives out to the last detail."

Joyce looked up, and saw three people headed towards their table. Max, Steph and someone else. Joyce thought the guy looked vaguely familiar. "Who is that, Chloe?"

Before Chloe could say anything, the trio arrived. Steph looked towards Chloe and Rachel. "You both remember Skip Matthews? He's here to announce your surprise."

A surprise. Everyone at the table was paying attention now. Chloe was very happy to see this unexpected guest. _"Hey Skip! Long time, no see!"_

"We had no idea you would come", Rachel added.

Skip turned towards the newlyweds. "Chloe, Rachel. First of all, congratulations. I couldn't be happier for the both of you. Now, as you know, I left Blackwell a few years ago to concentrate on my band. Starting next week, we're going to be supporting a certain other band on a concert tour. You know which band I'm talking about, Chloe?"

Chloe looked confused. _"Uhh… emm… I ehhh… I… I have no idea, really. Rach, do you know?"_

"I don't know either… Steph, do you know?"

Steph displayed her trademark evil grin again. "It's your surprise, Chloe and Rachel. You have to guess. I just had a hand in planning this all."

Suddenly it started dawning on Chloe. Steph had mentioned it during her pre-ceremony speech. _"No way… no fucking way… Rach… hold my hand… I'm freaking out…"_

The others at the table weren't sure what it was all about. But it was clear that Chloe had just figured it out, and while she was staring at Rachel, it seemed Rachel also became aware of what was going on."

Chloe regained control of herself. And the look on her face changed from disbelief to ecstasy. "Skip… is it Firewalk? Really? Seriously?"

"Yes, it is, Chloe. Here, take this". Skip handed Chloe a card. "Dale Cooper, Firewalk's singer, signed this card himself this morning. Firewalk's new tour starts next week. My band, Pisshead, will support them. But tonight, there will be an extra concert at the Black Attic Club, sort of a pre-tour thing. Only a limited number of tickets were made available, all sold out. But you two are invited. It starts at midnight."

Chloe just stared around the table with open mouth. Rachel started laughing, her woman was totally fangirling all over her favorite band and singer.

Skip continued. "The guys would really love to meet you both. If you both agree, I'll take you there tonight. The Black Attic Club is about a 45-minute drive from here, and we've scheduled half an hour for your pre-concert meet. So, can I tell Dale and the guys you'll be coming?"

Much to everyone's amusement, Chloe's mouth was moving but she wasn't producing any sound. Rachel intervened. "Skip, that's a yes. From me as well. What a wonderful surprise. Thank you so much, and you as well Steph. And Max, we're not forgetting you."

"I'll be back at about a quarter to eleven to take you there", Skip said. "I have to go now, there's a few things that we still have to arrange to get everything in order for tonight. See you later!"

As Skip left, Chloe looked at the others. "Finally, some real music", she laughed. Steph confirmed that this surprise was the reason why similar music hadn't been played yet during the day.

Rachel touched Chloe's shoulder. "Remember our first date, babe, remember where we met?"

_"Rach, what do you mean, do I remember? I'll never forget, never. Thank you, everyone, this is like the best surprise ever... we'll dance and mosh all night long!"_

Rachel loved seeing Chloe so excited. And the surprise was truly something special. A Firewalk concert. Just like the one at the Old Mill, over four years ago. "I'm so ready for this, Chloe. And speaking of dancing, isn't it about time we had our first wedding dance?"

Chloe could hardly believe they hadn't even danced yet. They could wait for the evening, with what Chloe had earlier referred to as _real music_ , but then again, why wait at all. _"Yes, Rach… I want to… right now."_

Rachel took Chloe's hand, and one of Rachel's favorite songs started playing. A song which she had introduced Chloe to and to which her blue punk surprisingly had taken a liking. Soon, all the eyes of the guests were on the brides as they opened the dancefloor.

 _All I want to get is a little bit closer_  
_All I want to know is_  
_Can you come a little closer_  
_Here comes the breath before we get a little bit closer_  
_Here comes the rush before we touch_  
_Come a little closer_  
_The doors are open, the wind is really blowing_  
_The night sky is changing overhead_

Rachel loved seeing Chloe look at her with that dreamy look in those blue eyes. She would gladly drown in those eyes, every day again. And dancing… just exchanging smiles, and touches.

 _It's not just all physical_  
_I'm the type who won't get oh so critical_  
_So let's make things physical_  
_I won't treat you like you're oh so typical_

There were few things Chloe liked doing better than run her fingers through Rachel's long blonde hair. And now, Rachel belonged to her, as she belonged to Rachel. A Santa Monica dream finally come true.

 _All you think of lately is getting underneath me_  
_All I'm dreaming lately is how to get you underneath me_  
_Here comes the heat before we meet a little bit closer_  
_Here comes the spark before the dark_  
_Come a little closer_  
_The lights are off and the sun is finally setting_  
_The night sky is changing overhead_

Those lyrics were just so fitting. And they were absolutely true. Rachel could feel the flow. Dancing could bring two lovers close, but the honeymoon would certainly have many moments where the two of them would be closer still.

 _It's not just all physical_  
_I'm the type who won't get oh so critical_  
_So let's make things physical_  
_I won't treat you like you're oh so typical_

Chloe longed to kiss her bride again. And like polar opposites, their respective lips were constantly drawn towards each other. A clumsy kiss. A passionate kiss. It didn't matter, they all counted.

 _I want you close_  
_I want you_  
_I won't treat you like you're typical_  
_I want you close_  
_I want you_  
_I won't treat you like you're typical_

The afternoon sun was still shining. Neither Rachel, nor Chloe wanted the day to ever end. The first chapter in their new book, their second book, was going to be a very happy one indeed.

 _Here come the dreams of you and me_  
_Here come the dreams_  
_Here come the dreams of you and me_  
_Here come the dreams_

* * *

As the afternoon became evening, and the sun started going down, the hour was drawing nearer. The moment Skip Matthews would return and take them to the Black Attic Club to meet Firewalk and attend their pre-tour concert, to which they were especially invited by the band members themselves.

One by one, group by group, the guests bade the newlyweds goodbye. Joyce and David Madsen headed for their hotel, as did James and Rose Amber. Only Steph and Max remained behind with Rachel and Chloe. The two brides changed into their punk outfits, mostly the same stuff they had worn back in 2010.

At exactly a quarter to eleven, Skip Matthews reappeared. Within minutes, they were on their way to the Black Attic Club.

Arriving with time to spare, Skip took Rachel and Chloe to the artist entrance and they entered the building. "Chloe, Rachel, wait here while I inform the guys that you two have arrived."

_"Dammit Rach, you look as hot as you did back then in that punk outfit."_

"Not as hot as you, Chloe. I can tell you feel more comfortable in jeans than you were in that dress, no matter how much you liked it."

_"Yeah, but that dress was still badass and I'll never regret wearing it. Hell, with a few modifications I could wear it to more occasions."_

"Chloe, I'll make a lady out of you yet."

_"Pfft… good luck with that, Rach. I already told you I don't want to be a lady. I just want to be yours… forever."_

"Ha… you're so adorable. I can't wait to be in your arms once we're in bed."

"Excuse me, ladies. Which one of you is Chloe?"

Rachel and Chloe looked towards the man that had interrupted them.

The man pointed at Chloe and nodded his head. "It's you, right? Our biggest fan? Follow me, I'll introduce you to the band."

Chloe looked at him and quickly put her hands in front of her mouth when she realized how wide open it was. It was him. Dale Cooper. Firewalk's lead singer. That wasn't his real name, of course not, but still it was him.

Dale Cooper closed the door to the dressing room behind Rachel and Chloe. Chloe looked around. They were all there. Each and every single one of the band members. And Skip Matthews. Was this a dream? Marrying her hot girlfriend and meeting Firewalk on the same day? Now the day truly couldn't get any better.

"Chloe, Rachel, welcome! Our friend Skip here has told us everything about you both. You know we normally don't do this kind of thing but once we heard about you two we just had to make an exception."

Rachel could see Chloe was totally fangirling again. If there was one guy Chloe liked it was Dale Cooper… not in _that_ way, of course not, but she liked him, that was for sure.

"Everyone, the blushing blue-haired girl here is Chloe, she's our biggest fan. Many say it, but in her case, it's actually true. Very pleased to meet you, Chloe. And congratulations! Because, as Skip told us, Chloe got married today. It's not midnight yet so saying today is still correct. Rachel here, another one of our big fans, is Chloe's bride. We've heard some of the stories of what happened, and it is so amazing to have you both here, looking very pretty indeed if you don't mind me saying so."

 _"Not… ehh… not at all…"_. Chloe's cheeks turned even redder than they had been before, Dale was smiling at her and Chloe felt overwhelmed. A quick look at Rachel helped.

"Let me introduce you to the band. Of course, Chloe, you should know our names already. This is our guitarist Tom McCarthy. That handsome guy over there is the drummer, Eric Jones. Our bass player, Jarvis Morgan. And I'm Brad Griffiths. That's my real name, Chloe. But on stage everyone knows me best as Dale Cooper. We have to go on stage soon, and I think it would be a cool idea to bring the two of you in via the stage, and our security guys will help you to the front so you won't miss a thing. Once the concert is over, you two can come backstage again and we'll give you some cool souvenirs. The world better be ready for you."

* * *

Fifteen minutes past midnight, everything was set. Firewalk was about to begin playing. Chloe and Rachel were standing as close to the stage as possible.

"EVERYONE! YOU KNOW WE DON'T LIKE TO WASTE YOUR TIME BY TALKING. WE DEDICATE THIS FIRST SONG TO OUR SPECIAL GUESTS CHLOE AND RACHEL. ARE YOU READY FOR THEM?

 _Hush_  
_Let's kick it in to touch_  
_And wash away the sludge_  
_That's withering our minds_  
_Words_  
_A message to the world_  
_To let the masses learn that someone holds a light_

 _Chloe, I'm ready for you_  
_Yeah, I'm ready for you_  
_Yeah, I'm ready for you now_  
_Yeah, you ready for me?_  
_Are you ready for me?_  
_Are you ready for me now?_

 _'Cos we've waited all our lives_  
_And now's our fuckin' time_  
_'Cos we've waited all our lives_  
_Yeah, we're coming_

 _Rage_  
_Or maybe it's my age_  
_Or maybe I'm a plague_  
_In every class a clown_  
_Hope_  
_'Cos radio's a joke_  
_'Cos all they do is talk and bring the nation down_

 _Rachel, I'm ready for you_  
_Yeah, I'm ready for you_  
_Yeah, I'm ready for you now_  
_Yeah, you ready for me?_  
_Are you ready for me?_  
_Are you ready for me now?_

 _'Cos we've waited all our lives_  
_And now's our fuckin' time_  
_'Cos we've waited all our lives_  
_Yeah, we're coming_

 _Damned_  
_I'm caught up in a trance_  
_Of youthful arrogance_  
_A voice who's fueled by pain_  
_Lost_  
_And no one gave a toss_  
_But now we've took our slot and so the story changed_

 _So yeah, I'm ready for you_  
_Yeah, I'm ready for you_  
_Yeah, I'm ready for you now_  
_Yeah, you ready for me?_  
_Are you ready for me?_  
_Are you ready for me now?_

 _'Cos you've waited all your lives_  
_And now's your fuckin' time_  
_'Cos you've waited all our lives_  
_Yeah, you're coming_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're approaching the end. The next chapter will be the last one.


	28. Let's go home

**Let's go home**

(New York City: June, 2021)

"What's the matter, angel? Did it happen again? I'm right here. Look at me, Chloe. I'm right next to you." Rachel rolled to her left and put her right arm around Chloe's waist, softly stroking Chloe's cheek with her left hand.

 _"_ _This nightmare… it won't go away... it keeps coming back. I never had it before we came here… it's so terrible… Max and I keep finding you dead… buried at the junkyard… and then a storm… a storm that can only be stopped if I die too…"_

Tears were streaming down Chloe's face. She was audibly and rapidly breathing in and out, as if she had just competed in an ironman triathlon.

Rachel was worried. Somehow, Chloe was different. Different, ever since the couple had moved to New York City the previous year so Rachel could perform on Broadway. She had asked Chloe many times. "Tell me if there's anything wrong". But Chloe had always shrugged it off.

This time, Rachel wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on. She hated seeing her blue haired pirate so anxious and sad. And there was plenty of urgency. That very evening both of them were scheduled to attend the 75th edition of the Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.

Rachel had been nominated for 'Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play'. Her Broadway debut in Beau Willimon's play 'The Parisian Woman', directed by Travis Keaton had been a resounding success. Some of the critics had suggested that Rachel may very well be a strong outsider to win the award.

Rachel recalled clearly how she had smirked upon learning from Mr. Keaton that in the play, she was to take on the role of a character who happened to be named Chloe, a socialite armed with charm and wit, coming to terms with politics, her past, her marriage and an uncertain future.

But now she was not playing a character named Chloe, she was comforting her wife of almost seven years of marriage, the love of her life, also named Chloe. "Do you want to talk about it, dear? Or anything else? We have time, don't worry. I'm here for you."

Thoughts ran through Chloe's head. _"How do I tell her? Rach seems so happy here, and doing so well… I… I can't ruin it for her… but I have to deal with this, somehow. I have to do something because I can't handle this much longer."_

Chloe struggled to put into words what she wanted to say. Maybe there was another way. Start off talking about something else, and then saying it. That might make it easier. She turned her head towards Rachel and looked her in the eyes, those beautiful eyes that she had already drowned in so often.

 _"_ _Rach?"_

"Yes?"

 _"_ _Do you remember when we visited Max last year, to see her baby girl?"_

"I'll never forget it, Chloe. You looked so adorable when you were cradling her. You almost didn't want to let go, until you noticed _that_ smell. Then Max asked if you wanted to change Natalie's diaper."

Chloe had to laugh. _"I was like, hella no… I wasn't ready for that. But Max talked me into it… of course she did. Complicated stuff, babies. And yet, all they do is eat, sleep and shit."_

"Yeah. But you kept talking about it for months on end, almost as if you were jealous of Max and you wanted a baby of your own. Was I right?"

 _"_ _I don't think we're ready for that, Rach. But maybe… who knows. I will admit to having thought about it, but we have plenty of time. We've dealt with most of the stuff from the past, we've given it a place… but sometimes I do wonder... what would it be like. Imagine that, huh. If you had told me that when we first met, I'd have suggested you be fitted for a straitjacket."_

"I'd happily impregnate you, C. But you know…"

Rachel grinned, and Chloe laughed hard.

 _"_ _You know, Rachel, I'm 27 years old, and so will you be next month, and it already feels as if we've lived a thousand years. So many things have happened since we met… hell… even since we got married…"_

"And then that other thing that we heard last year. Sean Prescott being arrested for conspiracy. Seems he was best friends with the warden of the prison they held Mark Jefferson in, and they conspired to have him moved to general population, which they could as soon as the judge ordered the re-trial. Then they had Jefferson killed. Do you remember that Warren told us of those rumors the year before?"

 _"_ _I do. It sounded so ridiculous, but he was right about most of it. I can't say I'll ever be sorry Mark Jefferson got killed in jail, good riddance. And Sean Prescott rotting away in jail is just a nice bonus. Sayonara, Prescott shits. Hopefully Nathan will hang himself one day."_

Rachel could see the burning hatred on Chloe's face. Her wife did not like the Prescotts one bit, and that was quite the understatement.

"Maybe we should talk about happier stuff, C. Our honeymoon was so wonderful. We spent all of our time on the Hawaiian beaches…"

 _"_ _Not all of it, Rach… I seem to remember that we had a comfy queen-sized bed in the hotel…"_

"Oh god, Chloe. You were insatiable. Even more so than I was… but I loved it. I'll never get tired of us making each other feel how much we love each other. Hey… don't grin like that… but yeah, you've changed. You're totally the top now… so different from our first years together. Do you remember when you tried to ask me for a kiss after the Tempest? You looked so adorable, and you were unable to manage to say the actual words. Never stop being you, babe, because I love you."

 _"_ _I remember how I felt. I was so nervous, because you were the first good thing to happen to me in such a long time. But I'm still impressed at how you got me to watch those Twilight movies with you. At least I got a few rewards out of it, yeah… you had to be punished for that."_

Chloe was unable to suppress a few giggles and blushed a little bit.

"I loved the way you punished me for it. I'll say it, bossy Chloe is best Chloe. I'm so in love with you, always. I'll never stop repeating it."

 _"_ _You could win that award tonight, Rach. You'd be famous, like Kate, and Max, and Victoria. You're such a great actress. Kate and her children's books, and Max and Victoria with their collaborations. And Victoria also helped Kate. Seems Arcadia Bay has had quite the impact on the arts."_

"Quite extraordinary for such a small town, isn't it? Maybe we all turned the bad stuff into motivation to make things better. I do like to think we've succeeded. But let me make it very clear to you, Chloe. I want you ahead of everything else… forever."

 _"_ _Now would be a good time to tell her"_ , Chloe thought. She took a deep breath, briefly closed her eyes, and looked at Rachel.

 _"_ _Rach?"_

"Yes, Chloe?"

This wasn't going to be easy, Chloe figured. But it had to be done. Chloe felt nervous.

 _"_ _I have to tell you something… and I'm not sure you're going to like it. But I've been postponing this for much too long."_

"Chloe… you can always talk to me about anything that's on your mind. Together, remember? We're together. But I have noticed some changes about you since we moved to New York. And you started having nightmares. I hate seeing you like this… I mean… unhappy. That's what it is, right?"

 _"_ _Yeah… I didn't want to bring this up earlier… I really wanted to give this a shot. When you had to choose between stage acting and singing in a band, and you picked stage acting, I was very happy. At least we could live in the same place, instead of being on the move all the time, like what happens with a band. But…"_

Chloe touched her own cheek as if wiping away a tear.

 _"…_ _it's true. I don't feel at home here in New York. I wanted to… for you… I tried… I really did… but it's not working. It's just not working for me… and you were so happy when you got offered the chance to be on Broadway. Please don't hate me."_

Something clicked in Rachel's mind. She had suspected something like this for some time. She had even pressed Chloe on it a number of times. But now the word was out, she understood.

"Chloe… my pirate queen… listen to me. I will never hate you. In fact, I'm glad you brought this up, now, today. And we should talk about this, because it needs to be about us… the two of us, both of us. I can't be happy if you're not happy. Remember what I said when we had just moved to Los Angeles? It's still true today. I'd rather live under a bridge if it means living with you, than to be famous here with you unhappy."

Now it was Rachel's turn to touch Chloe's cheeks. She kissed away Chloe's tears. An awkward smile broke through on Chloe's face. Rachel grabbed both of Chloe's hands.

"I love you, Chloe. I love you and I always will. I never want to be without you. We will fix this, I promise. We will talk about this as much as is needed. But I do hope you'll still join me tonight at the Tony Awards ceremony."

 _"_ _Of course, Rach. I wouldn't miss it. I want you to win. I think you will, I can feel it."_

"I think I might have a solution, Chloe. I might be able to tell you tonight, depending on what happens… let's go have a bath together, and then I'll do your hair and your make-up, I promise I won't overdo it. Let me make you feel better."

 _"_ _That would be nice… I'm gonna wear my dark blue suit tonight, Rach. To match your dress, you are wearing that new one, right?"_

"Yeah, I will. I wanted to ask you to wear your suit, you only wore it that one time, and it looks so damn good on you, just like your wedding dress did. I've got a feeling that tonight is going to be awesome, trust me. We'll have fun, OK?"

 _"_ _I'll smile, I promise. I feel a little bit better already. We can talk about that thing some more tomorrow, right?"_

"Promised. We will figure it out."

* * *

"Are you ready, dear? They're coming to pick us up in fifteen minutes or so."

 _"_ _I'm ready for it, Rachel. I never thought I'd be attending one of these major award shows, let alone to be the wife of an actual nominee. It just feels so… wow. I'm overwhelmed, you are so beautiful, and so talented. You know, my mom called to tell me she will be watching the show on TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of us."_

"That's good. And I'm very glad Joyce found a job as a kindergarten teacher near San Francisco. It's what she wanted for some time, right? She and David seem to be really happy now. Your mom deserves it."

 _"_ _Yeah, she does. It reminds me, we haven't been back to Arcadia Bay ever since we left for Los Angeles, have we? I mean, except to visit my dad's grave. I still don't miss the place. But let's not talk about that now, I want to try and have nothing but happy thoughts tonight."_

"Chloe?"

 _"_ _Uh… yes?"_

"Smile! Please? For me?"

Chloe grinned awkwardly. She and Rachel were glad that her mood had improved since the early morning. She still wasn't comfortable with the idea going to a place where so many other people would be also, as well as it being broadcasted live on television. _"For Rachel"_ , she thought. Yeah, that would work, a simple thought of Rachel always made her smile.

 _"_ _You mean like this?"_

Rachel laughed. It was so clear that Chloe wasn't a natural actress. But she didn't need to be. As long as Chloe could put her creativity into designing clothes and other things… Rachel loved seeing Chloe so passionate about something. Her blue haired babe was so talented with her hands, and that had its obvious advantages.

"It's… an improvement. And another thing, Chloe, I love this dress you made for me… but… isn't it a bit too revealing?"

Chloe winked at Rachel. _"No… not at all. And besides, I like having something to look at, and at the same time to have something to guess. I think we struck the right balance. But if you get cold, just say so and I'll lend you my jacket. The colors of our outfits match, I've thought of everything."_

"Pfft… dork. Who'd ever thought you would develop a fashion sense? I remember you wearing nothing but old, torn and faded clothes back then. But as I said, I love this dress. We're so much more alike now than we seemed to be back then. But… some things will probably always be different, and that's fine. I love you the way you are, because you are so comfortable being who you are."

The doorbell rang. Rachel looked at Chloe. "They're here, it's time to go. Come on, Chloe, let's have a great evening together!"

The two young women left their apartment and went down to the ground floor.

* * *

Once inside Radio City Music Hall, Chloe and Rachel were directed towards Rachel's fellow theatre group members. Mr. Keaton, the director, was there. Steph was there alongside her wife Elaine, they had gotten married a few years earlier, and Steph still worked for the theatre group.

"The star has arrived", Mr. Keaton said. "Welcome, darling. Such a pleasure to see you, and Chloe too, both of you. Magical, as always."

"And good evening to you, Travis", Rachel smiled. "Excited about tonight?"

"No more than you are, Rachel. And isn't it hard to believe that the Tempest is more than a decade ago now? But we're here, we made it, and that has to count for something in itself. I always knew you could make it big. And you even managed to get Chloe on stage, the Tempest is something I will never forget."

 _"_ _My first and last appearance on stage"_ , Chloe said. _"It was hard enough to remember just a handful of lines… I'm happier doing what I do, backstage. The spotlights are not for me."_

"I love being backstage too", Steph added. "Plus, I get to look at all the pretty girls. Though none more so than my Elaine, of course."

"Girls… girls… what do we think of Rachel's chances tonight? I've got a really good feeling about this."

 _"_ _I hope she wins, Mr. Keaton. She worked so hard for it, but I suppose that the other nominees did too. I'm just happy to be here with her."_

"Same, Chloe. I'm happy to be here with you. Just to be nominated is already something I've always dreamed of. And with my Chloe here, this evening will be a great success regardless of what happens."

 _"_ _I'll be glad when it's all over. As I said before, I don't like to be in the spotlights."_

"By the way, Rachel", Steph remarked. "That is an awesome dress… who made it?"

Rachel looked towards her wife, and then back towards Steph. "Well… my blue pirate queen here designed it."

"It's my kind of dress, Rachel. Chloe, you are awesome. I want you to design a dress like that for Elaine, please?"

Chloe shook her head. _"You're a perv, Steph. I saw you stare, don't deny it. And did you forget that you're a married woman yourself? Don't you ever get tired of talking about this kind of thing?"_

"No way, why would I? Besides, Elaine and I are very comfortable in our relationship. Plus, I don't actually stare at people all that much, I think you're a little bit too possessive here, Chloe. Other people will look at Rachel, especially when she wears a dress like that. But, you have nothing to worry about, as far as I am concerned. I'm taken as much as you are."

It was nearly time for the award show to begin, people started walking towards their seats. Chloe, Rachel and all the rest of the group followed.

* * *

The show progressed quickly. One after the other, award winners were announced. Best choreography, best lighting design a musical, best lighting design in a play, best original score in a musical, best costume design in a play, best performance by a featured actor in a play, best revival in a musical.

Only a handful of awards remained to be announced. Best play, best musical, best performance by a leading actor in a play, best performance by a leading actress in a musical, best performance by a leading actor in a musical and the one that Rachel had been nominated for, best performance by a leading actress in a play.

"To present the Tony Award for 'Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play', please welcome, two-time Academy Award winner and three-time Golden Globe winner Cate Blanchett."

"Thank you so much. It's that time in the evening when… if you haven't won an award yet, you're thinking you would give your right eye for a bottle of wine. Or as I would like to call it, lunch. But you are also probably thinking, why am I here? What does it all mean, really? Is winning an award in front of millions… well hundreds of people really… really, really important in the scheme of life? Well of course, the answer to that question is yes. That's the first thing I learned in self-esteem university."

Chloe looked to her right. She could feel the tension. Was this going to be Rachel's big moment? She took a deep breath, audible to Rachel. The two held hands. It had been quite the day so far. What happened next could very well complicate their lives in the near future. Chloe was very aware of the contradiction between one person's success and another person's happiness.

Rachel looked back at her wife. She could detect the mixed feelings in Chloe and squeezed her blue haired companion's hand whilst giving her a smile.

Meanwhile, Cate Blanchett continued. "But all jokes aside. Now, the extraordinary nominees for best performance by a leading actress in a play. They are: Estelle Parsons in 'The Velocity of Autumn'. Ruth Wilson in 'Constellations'. Michelle Williams in 'Blackbird', Laura Linney in 'The Little Foxes' and Rachel Amber in 'The Parisian Woman'. And…"

Chloe couldn't breathe anymore. She had caught a glimpse of herself on the large screen, sitting beside Rachel. She realized her mom would have seen her on TV just now. But for Chloe, the moment was not as exciting as it might be for the average person. Seeing and hearing all these famous people was making her very uncomfortable. A few seconds passed, but they seemed like hours. The moment lingered.

"… the Tony Award goes to… Rachel Amber, for her role in 'The Parisian Woman', congratulations!"

And now Chloe saw herself on the large screen again. But this time, for more than just a few seconds. As everyone around them stood up, so did she. Rachel turned to Chloe and kissed her. She also shook Mr. Keaton's hand before heading towards the stage. Chloe suddenly felt very lonely in the large crowd.

By now, Rachel was on stage. She shook Cate Blanchett's hand, received the Tony Award. It was time for her acceptance speech.

"Thank you all so much. I am humbled to be here tonight. First of all, I want to thank Beau Willimon for writing this extraordinary and inspiring play. Also, Travis Keaton for his encouragement and brilliant direction, he's been an inspiration to me for over a decade. Everyone who worked so hard to make this happen, thank you all.

But above all, I would like to thank one person. My beautiful wife Chloe, without whom I would not be standing here today, we've been through a lot together, and she saved me. She is the light of my life, she is my angel and I would not feel complete without her.

I owe her a huge debt. Chloe, darling, I love you more than anything in the world. Today, more than ever before, I'll seek to make your happiness so great, that even the name of liberty is forgotten. I hereby give you my answer to your most hopeful wish.

Yes.

Yes. I am taking you back there. Back to our Santa Monica dream.

And that is the reason why I am announcing my immediate retirement from Broadway.

Chloe, let's go home! Thank you all!"

Everyone stood and applauded. Chloe was unable to maintain her composure any longer. She was obviously crying and started to run over to the stage. The camera briefly showed Mr. Keaton, who was seen nodding in approval whilst wiping away a tear. He muttered a three-syllable word, but everyone was left to guess what word it was.

Chloe had arrived on stage. She ran towards Rachel and the two held each other in a tight embrace. As the camera zoomed in on Chloe and Rachel, everyone who saw it happen knew that at that very moment, there was no greater happiness anywhere in the universe.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might do some kind of epilogue at some point, but right now I'm happy to have been able to finish this.
> 
> The three-syllable word Mr. Keaton was muttering? It should be obvious, right? Ma-gi-cal.


End file.
